At the Movies with Fatwayne

She may be only sixteen but she is deadly! Hanna Heller (Saoirse Ronan) is being raised and trained for survival by her father, Erik (Eric Bana). They live off the land in a cabin in a remote forest in Finland. As developed as her physical skills are she has never come into contact with the modern world. Her father tries to compensate for this by teaching her from whatever books that they were able to obtain as well as from his considerable knowledge of the world. He is a former CIA agent who is hiding from his corrupt boss Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). Marissa is responsible for the death of Hanna’s mother as well as attempting to dispose of Erik and Hanna as well.

All of her life Hanna has been instructed in survival and defense techniques and plans to avenge her mother’s death by killing Marissa as soon as she is mature enough. When that day finally comes, they alert Marissa via a transmitting device. She and her father go separate ways with plans to meet again in Berlin. A CIA team is dispatched forthwith and manages to capture Hanna but not before loosing several of their men to her considerable fighting skills. She is brought to a safe house in Morocco. This was Hanna’s plan all along since she wanted to get Marissa alone and fulfill her plan to kill her.

Cate Blanchett plays a chillingly evil woman in her role as Marissa. She has no heart or conscience. She is also very cagey and when the time comes to meet with Hanna she very cunningly sends a substitute. The fake agent is aptly dispatched and Hanna manages to escape thinking she has accomplished her mission.

Marissa uses all of her resources in her efforts to capture and kill Erick and Hanna, pursuing them across most of Europe. Along the way she enlists the help of one of her former field contacts, Isaacs(Tom Hollander) whose elevator does not go up the the top floor! So now he and his foppish but lethal henchmen are also on Hanna’s trail.

This movie offers the audience abundant action and some quite beautiful scenery. Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana are both convincing in their action scenes and equally adept in their character performances. Bad guys (gals) galore provide lots of bodies and punching bags for Erick and Hanna and a splendid time for audiences that enjoy this kind of film.

Rated  -  PG13  -

Fatwayne’s Rating

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