Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice)

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander

Saw this when Joe was in town a few weeks ago. Really good, fun action movie, and it even has a little bit of depth. The most interesting part of the story is Hanna’s introduction into society. She is a young girl of exceptional mental and physical abilities who has been raised in wilderness. And I suppose that I should note that she was raised by her ex-CIA operative father (Bana) with the expressed goal of one day finding and killing his former colleague and current CIA higher-up (Blanchett). Yes, she is essentially a child assassin. Perhaps not a ground-breaking story (The Professional, Kick-Ass, etc.), but very well executed (pun-intended?).

Highlights include:
-A friendship that Hanna forms with another girl her age who she meets on the road. While I was watching the film I felt that this sub-plot caused the middle section of the movie to drag a little bit, but I think that had more to do with my expectations coming into the film (looking for a full-on action thriller) than whether it made for a better film overall. Upon reflection this touching storyline really added a lot of heart and depth to the child-assassin archetype.  
-Tom Hollander’s creepy and eccentric performance as Isaacs, a goon hired by Blachett’s character to track Hanna down. You may not recognize his name, but he was great in his small part as the awkward/terrified King George III in HBO’s amazing John Adams miniseries. He also impressed as a dimwitted local politician in the smart and hilarious 2009 political satire, In The Loop.
-The action scenes are very cool and well shot (especially Eric Bana’s subway fight shown in one long tracking shot with no edits).
-The musical score which was composed by the Chemical Brothers might be what brings this movie from decent to awesome. Along with the editing, the music provides an energetic base through which the story propels forward and upon which the incredibly well staged action scenes are built.

Overall, very enjoyable. And cool to see Joe Wright, known for his historical-drama Oscar-bait fare, to tackle something more… well… fun.