Hanna

“Hanna” is one of the movies that just come at you out of nowhere. I had had the DVD lying around the house for months before bothering to put it on – only to discover it is great! The plot revolves around a “Leon”-style child assassin being pursued by secret agent Cate Blanchett. The whole thing is based around the concept of a spy thriller wrapped around a fairy tale – we first meet ‘Hanna’ as a girl living in a timeless hut in the woods with her father (Eric Bana), before she is pursued by Blanchett, playing to all intents and purposes the modern incarnation of an evil stepmother. Their climactic confrontation takes place in an abandoned amusement park, in the mouth of a giant wolf.

What sets the film apart though are the performances – Cate being gleefully evil and glacially chic, and the main actress Saoirse Ronana who is stunningly pretty and great at accents. Even native speaker Daisuke was impressed with her German accent – usually done badly in movies, (the actress is Irish).

As well, it is a film with great visual flair and a sense of place. It starts in a fairtyale Nordic tundra, moves to an evocative Morocco and reaches fever pitch in Berlin – all drab streets and ugly orange plastic interiors, much like the Berlin I remember.

Plus – music by the Chemical Brothers, some funny lines (including a withering critique of liberal parenting), a bizarre cameo by one of the cast member of Downton Abbey, Eric Bana in wet underwear (if you are into that) and some exciting chase scenes although as so often happens, it flags a bit at the end. Still, recommended.

Four stars.