May's Film of the Month: Hanna
For the second month running, I'm highlighting a movie best described as flawed, with much to admire.
It's certainly a departure for London-born director Joe Wright - who's best known for the Oscar-winning drama 'Atonement' (which I thought was hugely overrated) and the charming 'The Soloist'. This film is a strange, sometimes unsuccessful merging of genres. Imagine Michael Apted's 'Nell', the story of a girl brought up in an isolated world, combined with elements of the Bourne trilogy.
The coming-of-age passages, which follow Hanna as she discovers the outside world and bonds with a family of English pseudo-hippies, are the most successful. The espionage plot is a bit obvious and cliché-ridden and, ultimately, fails to engage. As far as the action sequences are concerned, the first time we see Hanna "do her thing" in an underground bunker is a terrific set-piece. There's also a much-talked about single-take fist fight in a German subway that's pretty impressive to watch.
I'll certainly take my hat off to Mr Wright for being brave and taking risks. When this film works, it REALLY works and I admire the director's attention to detail, his experimental cutting style and effective use of location: from Lapland to Morocco to the creepiest abandoned amusement park ever seen on screen. But the pacing's often off and the score (by the Chemical Brothers) feels like it's wandered in from a different movie.
So, let's focus on the biggest positive and the reason why I would recommend this film. The cast is outstanding. Saoirse Ronan is a compelling protagonist. Cate Blanchett doesn't disappoint as the villainous CIA operative obsessed with shoes and dental hygiene. Even Eric Bana, who's usually a pretty bland leading man, is impressive as Hanna's father. Olivia Williams and Jason Flemyng make the most of small, but important roles. Sadly, Tom Hollander's creepy sadist with appalling fashion sense doesn't get half the screen time he deserves. In fact, this character should get his own spin-off!
