Hanna (2011): Grade: A-: starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett: directed by Joe Wright

Lately, there has been a trend of films that feature ass-kicking, strongly independent female characters (KICK-ASS, TRUE GRIT, LET ME IN). Its something that I hope will develop beyond being a trend and become a permanent fixture in Hollywood movies. HANNA continues this trend in a stylish and hip action film that stars up-and-coming actress Saoirse Ronan as a trained killing machine. Directed by Joe Wright (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, ATONEMENT, and THE SOLOIST) and featuring a soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, HANNA is an exciting, intelligent, and stylish action movie that rises far above the Tony Scott/Jason Bourne-inspired action films of late (i.e. UNKNOWN being the most recent example of these trite movies). Its not the kind of movie that will be embraced widely by mainstream American audiences, but for those who appreciate good filmmaking, its guaranteed to impress.

HANNA is the name of a girl (Saoirse Ronan) who has been living with her father (Eric Bana) somewhere in the Arctic for as long as she can remember. We don’t know anything about the two except that Hanna has been trained by her dad to be the perfect killing machine. The two live in complete isolation (no electricity, no television, no computers or internet, no phones) and everything Hanna knows comes from her father’s teachings. Her father explains to her that when the time comes that she feels she is ready to go out in the real world, Hanna will need to flip the switch on a transmitter to indicate her location. When that happens, a corrupt CIA agent by the name of Marissa Viegler (Cate Blanchett) will be notified of her whereabouts and she will set out to find and kill her. One day, Hanna announces that she is finally ready and she turns on the transmitter. Shortly after this happens, Viegler, who has been immediately notified, sends out agents to find Hanna and her father. However, they both escape and make arrangements to find each other in Germany. The rest of the film is about Hanna avoiding Viegler and her goons while also trying to piece together her life’s story.

From the first frame of the movie, you are immediately struck by the gorgeous cinematography by Alwin H. Kuchler (SUNSHINE). The film makes use of natural landscapes and real locations to tell its story. There isn’t any heavy dependence on expensive CG or on-screen gadgetry to tell the story unlike (again) UNKNOWN or last year’s SALT. In that sense, HANNA is a unique spy action movie the clandestine and violent environment the characters are a product of operate in a very natural looking world. This is emphasized in the beginning scenes of the movie where we see Hanna and her father living off the land by hunting and gathering their own food. When Hanna escapes from the CIA’s secret facility in Morocco, she wanders through the country’s desert landscape and experiences the country’s culture and people.

HANNA is also unlike the majority of spy action movies in that its not just about the main character running away from bad guys and jumping on moving trains and blowing shit up. The film spends a considerable amount of time developing Hanna and showing her as she takes in for the first time in her life all the complexities of life. Those expecting a standard action movie will probably be bored by this stuff, but I found it beautiful and exhilarating. There is one particular scene that really stood out for me. In the scene, Hanna has reached Spain and she’s out on a “date” with a local Spaniard. The two of them are sitting at a beach and watch this group of gypsy-looking Spaniards perform a song and dance. To Hanna, this is a magical moment because up until now, she has never heard music and only knows about it through her readings of what music literally means. The director’s strength shows through in this scene because he’s not afraid to cut away from the song and dance number and instead stays on it for the entire duration of the song.

As the titular character, Saoirse Ronan has big shoes to fill, which she does in wonderful fashion. Although I didn’t find her character to be as exciting to watch as Chloe Grace Moretz’s Hit Girl character was in KICK-ASS, Hanna still manages to be a captivating character who capably carries the weight of the film. The toughest aspect of the character to portray was probably Hanna’s wondering reaction to all the new stimuli around her. Ronan pulls this off convincingly for the most part despite some logical lapses in a few scenes, which I don’t blame the actress for so much as I blame the screenplay. If you can’t already tell, HANNA is not your typical spy action movie and Hanna isn’t simply an action movie cypher. She’s a girl on the cusp of womanhood, who is taking her first tentative steps out into a world she doesn’t know. However, don’t think that this means the movie isn’t action-oriented. HANNA is much more action-oriented than THE AMERICAN or THE PROFESSIONAL).

However, its probably no surprise for anyone of you to hear that Cate Blanchett really ends up being the best character in this movie. Aside from the fact that the villain is usually the most interesting character in any movie, Blanchett is a cold-hearted, ambitious, focused bitch. I’ve mostly seen the actress play protagonists in the past so to see her take on such an evil character is a testament to the versatility of the actress’ skills. In a sense, Marissa Viegler is sort of like the Terminator. From the moment we meet her, we see that absolutely nothing will stop her from finding Hanna and her father, even if that means disobeying her agency’s orders. Viegler is the antithesis to Hanna’s world. Hanna is always seen in various landscapes, mixing amongst various cultures, and interacting with different people. Viegler, on the other hand, lives in a gray (literally) home, wears gray clothing, and anything that is alive is entirely foreign to her. Viegler is basically just like a machine that keeps on going in a perfect, meticulous manner.

As with Trent Reznor providing music for THE SOCIAL NETWORK and Daft Punk scoring TRON: LEGACY, we now have The Chemical Brothers providing the music for HANNA. Unlike Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers have managed to maintain their own style and have simply adapted it for the film. As a result, the soundtrack is just as much a Chemical Brother’s album as it is a soundtrack to the film. The tracks are pretty diverse as well as some are ominous and haunting while others are just plain fun. In case you decide to check out the soundtrack, my favorite track from the album is “Container Park.”

In a year that has so far produced some pretty damn good gems, HANNA is easily one of this year’s best films. It’s a welcome departure from director Joe Wright’s past films and I hope to see him tackle more action movies. I would also like to note that this film finally makes an effort to provide us with original action set pieces. Last year, it seemed that all the studios got together and had decided to shoot all of their action films in shipyards. Now I have to admit that HANNA also has a shipyard sequence, but through Wright and Kuchler’s direction, the film breathes new life into this familiar setting. In addition to the shipyard, HANNA also takes place in sewers and an abandoned amusement park. However, the best action sequence of the film is hands down inside the CIA secret facility from where Hanna makes her escape. The combination of The Chemical Brothers’ soundtrack with the awesome editing and cinematography makes for a unforgettable experience. In the end, HANNA is a film that’s filled with dazzling poetic images set in bizarre and exotic locales that moves to the electronic tune of The Chemical Brothers. It’s a coming-of-age story about a girl not to be fucked with and its one you won’t regret experiencing.

The Way Back (2010): 3 out of 5 stars: starring Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, & Colin Farrell: directed by Peter Weir

I have frequently belated the fact that Hollywood is no longer able to successfully make epic-style movies. Many filmmakers have tried, but with the exception of a precious few, most absolutely suck at presenting us with a story where you as the audience member can feel the epic scope of the film. Of the few directors who can pull this off and who HAVE pulled this off in the past is Australian filmmaker, Peter Weir (THE TRUMAN SHOW, MASTER & COMMANDER, WITNESS, GALLOPOLI, and THE MOSQUITO COAST). It is always a treat to see a Peter Weir film because he doesn’t make many movies and when he does, you know you’re in for quite an experience. I wasn’t completely sold by his last film, 2003’s MASTER & COMMANDER, which I found to be too boring despite its technical and acting achievements. However, given the director’s past success, I was more than willing to give him another chance. Trailers for his latest film, THE WAY BACK, looked promising and a return to form for Weir. I have been waiting a long time for a David Lean-style epic and the story for THE WAY BACK promised such an epic. Unfortunately, what plagued MASTER & COMMANDER afflicts THE WAY BACK.

Peter Weir’s latest is the remarkably true story of an unlikely group of escapees who flee the Siberian Gulag and brave the harsh physical conditions to eventually make their way to freedom in India. The story takes place in the 1940s when the world was embroiled in World War II. The plan is hatched by a Polish prisoner (Jim Sturgess), who has recently been sent to the Gulag. Those joining him in the escape include an American (Ed Harris) and a convicted Russian murderer (Colin Farrell). Along the way, the group meets a runaway girl (Saoirse Ronan) who also joins them in their journey. THE WAY BACK depicts the harrowing journey this motley group of prisoners takes as they travel south through the arctic wilderness of Siberia to the uncompromising desert heat of the Mongolian desert.

You immediately know that at least one of the prisoners completes his journey because otherwise there would not have been anyone to chronicle the journey and we would never have known about it. The appealing aspect of THE WAY BACK is discovering what the characters had to do to survive their ordeal. In that sense watching the film is like watching a more extreme version of the show SURVIVOR. The characters had very few resources at their disposal so the chance of reaching India was quite slim. From a historical and informational perspective, THE WAY BACK is a fascinating movie to watch just to see what it took to get from Siberia to India. Where the film falters, however, is getting us to invest in the characters themselves. For this film to work, it is imperative that you give a shit about the characters. You are embarking upon a journey with these people so you must empathize with them and feel like you are with them for the whole ride. I didn’t really feel that at all. Peter Weir certainly tries to create this connection between the audience and his characters, but where he fucks up is in the first act when he introduces them to us. We spend very little time in the beginning getting to know the characters before they begin their escape. We see a 1 or 2 scenes with Colin Farrell’s character and a few scenes with Ed Harris, but that’s not enough to help us understand those characters except for getting a very broad sense of who they are. Worse yet, the other characters who form the escapee group is completely ignored in the first act and I wasn’t really introduced to them until long after they have escaped. By then, its too late to create the character-audience connection and, as a result, you as the audience don’t really give a shit as to what plight may befall those characters. This becomes very apparent in the death of two of the characters where I think Weir intended to draw an emotional response from his audience.

In terms of acting, the entire cast delivers a strong performance, especially (and surprisingly) Colin Farrell. A few years ago, critics and studios were heralding the coming of Colin Farrell as the next big superstar who combined prodigious acting talent with movie star looks. I never bought into it despite seeing almost everything the actor starred in. I’m not saying Farrell is a bad actor, which he certainly is not. However, he never lived up to the expectations that everyone seemed to have of him. Here, Farrell does a wonderful job in playing a convicted Russian murderer. Although he does ham it up a little, Farrell convincingly displays the ferocity and unstableness of his character so that you never know when or whether he will suddenly turn and betray his escapee comrades.

I haven’t seen Ed Harris in a movie in quite awhile so his return to the screen in this movie was a welcome sight. Here he gives a quiet, understated performance that seems to perfectly fit the age of the actor. Little is known about Harris’ character and we only get bits and pieces of his character’s background as the film progresses. Sadly, the man who recorded his account that formed the basis of this story didn’t know what eventually happened to Harris’ character. Harris never told anyone what his last name was so there was no way to find out how Harris’ story ends. Harris is the only American in the group and the fact that an American ends up in the Gulag is enough to make him the most interesting character in the film.

Jim Sturgess sort of serves as the main character in THE WAY BACK. He initiates the escape plan and leads the group to their final destination. He is also the person who chronicles the story that forms the basis of this movie. I know I have seen this actor before, but since I’m on a plane and I have no wi-fi access, I can’t look up his credits and I can’t remember off the top of my head what films he has appeared in. Like the rest of the cast, Sturgess does good work here. He sort of reminds me of Jeremy Davies (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN), but less of a pussy.

Finally, we have Saoirse Ronan, the only female in the group of escapees. Again, I have no wi-fi access as I write this so I can’t look up what films Ronan has appeared in, but I know I have seen in her something very recent (THE LOVELY BONES? Yes? No?). Anyway, apart from her very cool sounding name, Ronan is someone I think we will be seeing a lot of in the future and not just for her unique looks, but mostly because of her potentially great acting skills. She too does a good job here, but I think she has the potential to do much better as she continues along her career and you see a hint of that here.

THE WAY BACK continues a long-running theme in Weir’s films, which is that of man versus nature and man versus society. In films such as this, MASTER AND COMMANDER, THE TRUMAN SHOW (which also stars Ed Harris), and THE MOSQUITO COAST, Weir’s characters rise against seemingly insurmountable odds to pull off what everyone tells them can’t be done. Here, the prisoners take on that which everyone in the Gulag considers to be a suicide mission: escaping Siberia and surviving. Our characters take on both nature and society to accomplish their goal even when it seems apparent that what they’re doing is nothing more than a fool’s errand. Weir explores this theme most successfully in his very underappreciated THE MOSQUITO COAST, which was about a man and his family who attempt to create a utopian society in the middle of a jungle.

I really wanted to like THE WAY BACK especially considering that it may be many years before Peter Weir directs another film. Even though the film contains all the ingredients of a successful epic film, Weir is unable to combine those elements to craft a story that had a huge potential to be an instant classic. Instead, the film comes off as a 2 hour Discovery Channel documentary instead of a drama that explores the human spirit and its endurance to survive. With some more finessing, I think Weir could have made that film and I wonder if there is a longer, director’s cut out there that we will hopefully see on blu-ray.