Contributed By Irin Tjahjana
Young and deadly, Hanna Heller (Saoirse Ronan) is no ordinary teenager; since she was two, her father, Erik (Eric Bana), has been training her in the chilly mountains of Finland to be the perfect fighting machine—the reasons for which are later revealed in measured twists and turns.
In this action thriller, director Joe Wright and his team of scriptwriters construct a gripping tale of revenge and deceit revolving around Hanna and her father. They are on the run from the person responsible for the death of Hanna’s mother, but little does she know that the journey she is forced to embark on will turn her world—and her very identity—upside down.
Hanna’s plan of vengeance may seem clichéd, but superb acting by the prodigious Ronan who provides a worthy counterpoint to villain Cate Blanchett helps the movie to rise above standard thriller fare. That the female leads actually have primary roles to play—and not just serve as supporting characters in furthering the story of a male protagonist—makes for a refreshing change.
Somewhere in our psyche the desire for harmony and human connection has been hardwired. Despite her inability to fully understand the concept of peace and family stability, Hanna intuitively accepts it. When exposed to a normal family life, Hanna, whose upbringing has been all about eliminating all emotion, registers the first sliver of genuine emotion. This movie reminds us that there is something more to being human other than the survival of the fittest.
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