The Film:

Strong modern female heroines are nothing new. Kick-Ass, Resident Evil, and Sucker Punch are all examples of flicks starring adrenaline fueled hotties that can take a guy down in mere seconds. Hanna falls into this category. Director Joe Wright took what could have been nothing more than a gimmick and turned it into a stylish, action packed thrill ride that sucker punched me into submission.

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a 16-year-old girl who was raised in a desolate forest by her father (Eric Bana), and trained to be a deadly assassin. She spends her days learning hand-to-hand combat, hunting, and studying many different languages. She has been training for the moment when she would face her mother’s killer, a vile Intelligence Agent named Marissa (Cate Blanchett), and face her she does.

There are sure to be many comparisons made between Hanna and the Bourne series. The close and quick fighting style, the searing action sequences, and the fearless hero searching for the truth. But what sets Hanna apart from other similar films is its strong visual style. Joe Wright isn’t scared of long shots, experimenting with uncomfortable angles, or taking chances on a heart pumping score (The Chemical Brothers). I was completely engulfed into Hanna’s world. I was elated when she found a friend in scene stealer Sophie (Jessica Barden). Her character is never in question and her goals are always clear. Watching her hunt her prey, while at the same time learning about the world around her is intoxicating.

An amazing cast that proves their worth and then some are lead by a fearless director, and turn a somewhat interesting idea into an unforgettable movie. Sure, there are a few holes in the plot, and some questions go unanswered, but none of that matters in the end because these small issues are swallowed up by Hanna herself. This is a film that deserves cult status and repeat viewings. It is absolutely a killer film.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Universal explodes the film on HD. Sharp, detailed, the picture is as good as anything on the market. The DTS track is as killer as Hanna. Deep bass, a pulsating score, and constant surround activity, it’s no other word than stellar.

Commentary: Director Joe Wright goes solo here, and offers up a a great track. He barely takes a time out to breathe, giving us a snappy, speedy chat about every facet of the film’s production. It’s a wonderful listen.

All extras are in HD.

A slew of tiny featurettes in Adapt or Die, Central Intelligence Allegory, Chemical Reaction, and The Escape of Camp G are rapid interesting making-ofs that cover the score, action, and characters. They’re all from 3-8 minutes, but offer plenty of insight info, making them better than an EPK.

Deleted Scenes don’t offer much, either does the Alternate Ending. Some Trailers and an EPK making-of round out the extras.

The Film: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Jock is known for his work on Losers and Judge Dredd comic series.

Raised by her father (Eric Bana of Star Trek), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna’s upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

“Like” Hanna on Facebook here, follow it on Twitter, and visit the official site here. The film is rated PG-13.

Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Source: IMPAwards

“Raised by her father, an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna’s upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Working Title Films will be developing a live-action film on Christian Andersen’s fairytale with director Joe Wright. This will mark the first time The Little Mermaid has been adapted into a live-action film. The classic tale has been made into various stages productions. Abi Morgan is penning the script.

A Prophet

Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a solider; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Sweden . Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Hanna, written by Seth Lochhead and directed by Joe Wright, is expected to come out sometime in 2011.

Producing will be Scott Nemes, Marty Adelstein and Leslie Holleran with Focus Features attached for distribution of the film. Bana can be seen in several films released last year, including Funny People and Star Trek. Ronan can still be seen in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones which is still screening in some theaters nationwide.

The story follows a 14-year-old Eastern European girl (Ronan) who has been raised by her father to be a cold-blooded killing machine. She connects with a French family, forms a friendship with their daughter and goes through the pangs of adolescence. When the girl is dragged back to her father’s world and discovers that she was bred as a killing machine in a CIA prison camp, she must fight her way to a free life (THR).

Directing the film is Joe Wright who previously worked together with Ronan on Atonement. Ronan can still be seen on the big screen in Peter Jackson’s novel adaptation of The Lovely Bones and will be seen sometime in 2010 in the 1940 based movie entitled The Way Back.

The project is described as having shades of “La Femme Nikita” and the “Bourne” movies. The story centers on a 14-year-old Eastern European girl who has been raised by her father to be a cold-blooded killing machine. She connects with a French family, forms a friendship with their daughter and goes through the pangs of adolescence. When the girl is dragged back to her father’s world and discovers that she was bred as a killing machine in a CIA prison camp, she must fight her way to a free life.

Currently Joe Wright was in the middle of pre-production on the novel adaptation called Indian Summer until it got put on an indefinite hold. Apparently there were some battles with the budget that went and helped bring the feature on hold.

Knightley has been taking singing lessons ever since the possibility came up, and pre-production started work on getting the permits to shoot on location at the original locations at Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Wimpole Street, and Ascot racecourse.

The movie is being produced by Duncan Kenworthy and Cameron Mackintosh, while Joe Wright is set to direct, and Emma Thompson is writing the script.

It sounds like this is going to be almost a shot-for-shot style remake, which I’m ok with.

Source: ComingSoon, Cinematical

Helmer Joe Wright had been prepping the pic, an adaptation of Alex von Tunzelmann’s book about the last days of Britain’s colonial rule of India and the symbolic end of Blighty’s status as a world superpower. Blanchett was cast as Edna Mountbatten, wife of Lord Mountbatten, who was the last viceroy of the British Indian Empire and oversaw the country’s transition to independence in 1947 (Variety).

There were several factors that took part with Universal making this decision, one of them being the pure complications of filming within India. With these road bumps, this novel adaptation is surely to seep straight into development hell. Actress Cate Blanchett just recently completely filming Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood”. Director Joe Wright, who helmed features like “The Soloist”and “Atonement”, must be on the lookout for more work with “Indian Summer” being the only film he would be working on recently.