Day 187: "I just missed your heart..."

Not the movie I was at all expecting, Hanna is very much a thinking person's action film.  Watching the advertising, I was sure this was going to be a second rate La Femme Nikita rip-off, happily, I was wrong.  Hanna is the story of a girl who was intentionally raised in the wilderness, away from the distractions of society, in order to become the perfect assassin; not for profit or politics, but in order for her to be able to protect herself.  Instead of the usual, Bruckheimer-esque, perfectly framed, explosionfest, the audience is treated to a character study of the principles.  This allows us to become involved with these people so we actually care when the crap hits the fan.  That having been said, there is still plenty of action and mayhem to keep the most devout action fan watching.  I honestly haven't been this pleasantly surprised by a movie in a long time.  There are a number of points where the movie slows down, but it all comes together and makes for one of the most cerebral action films in years.  An amazingly crafted movie, it's no wonder it didn't do better at the U.S. box office: most of us are morons.  We prefer McDonalds to Mesa Grill.

Saoirse Ronan plays the title role brilliantly, giving at once, an innocence and ice-cold toughness to Hanna.  She looked like she spent the first 16 years of her life in the wilderness, training for any contingency her unfortunate circumstances could bring.  Eric Bana plays her father, Erik Heller; a man ruthlessly hunted for events in his past.  Cate Blanchett is CIA agent Marissa Vikla, the bitch responsible for Hanna and her family's woes.  What a bitch she is, completely stone-cold and unrelenting in her pursuit of Erik and Hanna.

I loved the different directions and twists that Hanna took throughout.  A completely satisfying action movie that has only minor slow down, give it a shot if you're looking for something completely different and absolutely smart as a whip.  Everything from the action to the dialogue to the acting, Hanna is wonderful.  Abstain from the latest summer, popcorn, shoot-em-up, and sit down and enjoy Hanna, or she'll kick your ass.  9.25/10

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!