Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Raised by her father, an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing has been geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.
Hanna is a stylish, kinetic thriller elevated by Joe Wright's visually inventive direction and a propulsive Chemical Brothers score. The cinematography is genuinely exceptional — long takes, unusual angles, and a fairy-tale aesthetic rarely seen in action thrillers. Saoirse Ronan's central performance is strong, and Cate Blanchett is memorably menacing, though supporting roles are thinner. The plot is serviceable but familiar — the engineered-supersoldier-on-the-run premise doesn't break new ground, and the mythology around Hanna's origins feels undercooked. The ending deflates somewhat, resolving the conflict abruptly without the emotional payoff the buildup promises. Novelty sits in the middle — the film has a distinctive fairy-tale tone and auteur visual sensibility, but the core narrative is recognizable genre territory.