The Film
"I just missed your heart."
These are the first spoken words we hear in Joe Wright's brilliantly entertaining HANNA. When you consider that these words are spoken sweetly by a young girl to an elk she's just brought down with her bow, a tender moment followed immediately by the girl whipping out her pistol to deliver a merciful head shot, one thing becomes abundantly clear. There's more to this girl - and the film - than meets the eye.
As we soon learn, Hanna lives with her father, Erik (a perfectly cast Eric Bana) in the arctic wilds of Finland, far from civilization and beyond the reach of modern technology. Taking the concept of home schooling to new heights, Erik spends his days educating Hanna - strength training, target practice, hand-to-hand combat - and spends his nights reading to her from the encyclopedia, quizzing her in multiple foreign languages. "Adapt or die. Think on your feet - even when you're sleeping." It's all good advice if you're training someone to become a survivalist.
The Picture
Universal has done a fantastic job bringing Joe Wright's HANNA to Blu-ray. Tree bark and facial details reveal themselves beautifully amid the snowy landscape of the film's opening chapters. The dim, fire-lit interior of Erik and Hanna's cabin manages to preserve a great deal of shadow detail while blacks appear sufficiently inky and dark. In contrast to these earthy tones, the red hair of wicked witch Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett) pops wonderfully against her cold and sterile CIA office surroundings.
The Sound
In a word: whoa. Featuring a thrilling and driving electronic-based original score by The Chemical Brothers, the music of HANNA is guaranteed to be in your head for days. From the creepy tune whistled by Ms. Wiegler's chief henchman (Tom Hollander), to the pumping chase music that you can hear in the film's awesome trailer (above), HANNA's soundtrack just plain rocks. And it's a testament to Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that the film sounded better at home than it when I saw the film at the theater. From its thumping bass to its subtle and effective use of the surround channels, this is a top shelf audio presentation from start to finish.
The Extras
Unlike many films I review on Blu-ray, HANNA is a film I was eager to learn more about when it was over. How did the story come about? How did the amazingly-talented Saoirse (pronounced "Sir Shuh" like "inertia") Ronan cope with the film's rigorous training and stunt work? And was it an accident that this film felt in no small way like a (grim) fairy tale of sorts, spinning a unique 'upon a time' about a girl who lived in the woods? These questions and more are answered by the film's respectable assortment of handsome and fluff-free featurettes. "Adapt or Die" is particularly interesting, as you'll see how they developed Hanna's unique fighting style. The alternate ending is also worth a look, though I think I agree with Joe Wright's decision to end the film where he did.
Final Thoughts
Here in New England, Hurricane Irene is bearing down on us, poised to give us a potentially savage beating. As she approaches, there is one small thing I'm grateful for: at least her name isn't "Hanna." Like a hurricane, Joe Wright's film and its titular character are riddled with mystery and dangerous beauty, moving sideways in unexpected directions, and brimming with destruction and brilliantly-orchestrated mayhem. HANNA really hits its mark and I'm thrilled to see that Universal's Blu-ray has done this film proud. Highly recommended.
Product Details
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