Movie reviews
Determined to live a normal life, Hanna leaves the sanctuary her father has created, in the process triggering a worldwide hunt led by Marissa (Cate Blanchett), Eric’s former handler. The trans-Europe pursuit that follows is two parts action thriller to one part coming-of-age drama, as Hanna discovers a normal teenage girl’s passions of boys, clothes and make-up, all the while fleeing Marissa and yet moving ever closer to a climactic showdown.
Ronan is excellently cast in the lead, purveying a compelling blend of dead-eyed innocence, but Joe Wright’s film requires her to negotiate implausible scenes that would be a test for an actress twice her age. The whole set-up of the vengeful relationship between Marissa and Erik smacks of a contrivance hacked together simply to put lethal weapons in a young woman’s hands, and while the action sequences are expertly edited, they lack the conviction that might persuade us that Hanna is the consummate killer the story needs us to believe her to be. If you’re prepared to overlook the plot-holes this is solid but unspectacular entertainment.
