Joe Wright
Hanna

Director Joe Wright returns to the screens following his excellent adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and the tepid "Atonement", with a new subject and promoting the young Saoirse Ronan (also present in Atonement) to the role of protagonist, to create a film that I would describe as an excellent and very varied blend, whose main references are primarily to Luc Besson, "Kiss of the Dragon" included, and which has the merit of spanning locations widely across the globe. It starts with a snowy yet icy Finland, where Hanna hunts a reindeer with a bow and arrows; dragging it to a remote farm she inhabits with her father, evoking a fairytale atmosphere, where her only contact with the outside world and civilization are books and her father's strict teachings.

But the call of the world’s voices soon proves too strong for the exile to last; as is the mysterious past that lurks behind the young girl's innate martial and intellectual qualities. And thus, the two part ways with the promise of meeting again in Berlin, after activating a locator - whose logical consequentiality in relation to the plot, it must be said, is never clarified, burdening the film somewhat heavily although it remains more than good, despite being unclassifiable. Indeed, if the initial premises seemed those of a drama, with subsequent sequences it more than ever takes on the appearance of an action film, in which Hanna is confined to a CIA base by the wicked witch of the moment (Cate Blanchett, nominally), fortunately failing conspicuously in her intent to restrain the young girl, who indeed manages to escape in a circus-like yet surreal manner, with camera and temporal reality tricks highlighting her supernatural qualities; combined with sudden set changes, so emerging from a vent into the wind tunnels of the military base, she will emerge in the middle of the Moroccan desert, among oases and splendid mud buildings (and why not?). And it is here that the film instead takes on a comedic character in the narration of the friendship formed between her and a quirky tourist family including another girl; with plenty of quasi-satirical reflection on the culture of celebrity as perceived by younger generations. The friendship between the two will obviously soon prove unfeasible, returning Hanna to her path to shed light on her past and towards the rendezvous point agreed with her father (Eric Bana).

It would be difficult to delve further into the plot as it is sparse and reticent in itself, as well as trivial concerning what will actually emerge about the mysterious past, albeit excellently supported by the cast, including an inspired Tom Hollander, perhaps channeling Gary Oldman, casual and ruthless, hired along with a crew of skinhead thugs to track down the runaways. And noteworthy is the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers who infuse excellent techno suspense into the action scenes, and melancholy into the dramatic ones. Even the martial arts sequences seem well-crafted and realistic, despite mostly being performed by a child - after all, the Oriental world had already accustomed us to this and more, not least in that sense the film "Chocolate".

All things considered, therefore, flaws and merits balance positively, especially thanks to excellent direction that keeps alive the torch of the fairy tale, albeit much weakened towards the end, through the sadder or more violent passages, and the skilled protagonist acting in different languages and navigating between emotional states deriving from the discovery of the world through a gaze that is distant and immersive at the same time. Rating: 3.5/5