Brief View on Hanna

Brief View: Damn Fun

Longer View: I saw Hanna this weekend. I will not spoil anything story wise, mainly because I can't; there really isn't much of one: a girl who can kill on the run from a government agency. Think Bourne Identity mixed with La Femme Nikita with sprinkles of Run, Lola Run and The Professional liberally spread all over. Basically, the makers of this movie were obviously real big Luc Besson fans and made a very effective tribute to the director.

While the story is weak and more a method to get from one action set piece to the next, they are very well done. The director, Joe Wright, showed a lot of faith in the ability of his actors to pull off the choreography the fight scenes demanded; something you don't see often enough in today's world of quick cuts and tight camera shots. The highlight for me came in the form of a 360 degree, one take fight sequence that really made me forget this was a PG-13 film.

And speaking of the rating, for a PG-13 movie, I am quite surprised at how effective the suspense of the chase sequences and the quality of the fight scenes actually were. I very quickly forgot there were things that could not happen due to the rating of the film and found myself wondering a few times "what is going to happen next?"

The weakness of the film sadly comes across anytime and every time a connection is supposed to be made between characters, any characters. The father/daughter dynamic is barely there, the villains seem to act villainous because they are expected to, and the main character runs and fights because it is what the scene calls for. Even a British family we spend some time with seems more like a collection of actors playing parts rather than an actual family on vacation.

Overall, this movie was fun and that is what we go to the movies for, right? Even with no story, I am eager for a sequel and I think and hope the world has found a great new action star in Saoirse Ronan.