Oh my, I seek words in my paltry vocabulary to describe the most original, tense, unusual, weird, gripping film to come out in years! Hats off to the writers of a script that is unlike any that precedes it!
I will never spoil a film for viewers, so I must describe this gem without giving anything away. Okay, probably safest to say that the girl in the picture above is a tough, deadly, wily teen who has been trained by her father to be a killer. She has been raised alone in the woods, where her days consist of living off the fat of the land and practicing martial arts, shooting, and other vicious activities. She must be good enough to face the baddies who are after her and her father.
Got your attention?
Acting: Wow! The girl who stars is Soirse Ronan. Who? Go back to the year 2007 and check out a little-known kid nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Atonement. That's her. What a talent. Now take Eric Bana, of Munich fame, and Cate Blanchett, of, well, everything fame, and you've got a whopping cast. By the way, Cate is normally not cast as an evil bitch, but she sure fills the bill here!
Can't say much more, except to laud this piece of work. My dear spouse and I were held captive by the flick for two hours. We wanted to take food and potty breaks, but the story would not let us go!
A+ film making. Viewers, this one goes to the top of the list. See it before anything else!
Some films, from their very first frames, set a defining, artistic tone. Such is this one. We were completely engaged from its beginning.
ReplyDeletePretty short on plot (whole explanation reduced to about 3 sentences from "dad"), but what this film had was creative camera work and a captivating heroine in Hanna. She reminded me of Uma Thurman's in Kill Bill series.
Love Cate Blanchett in general, but her Southern accent was inconsistent and distracting. I also wanted to learn more about her and EVERY other character. Left me about "hungry an hour later."
My nod here goes to scoring. Very gritty, industrial, fused, and supportive - brought to us by The Chemical Brothers.
Well, this was a fun ride.
I think we generally agree on this one, Valerie. Although my words were more effusive and gushy than yours, we concur that this is one unusual film. You said, "...pretty short on plot." Yes indeed, English teacher, it most certainly is. But you also wisely noted that the "captivating heroine" carries the flick. I really enjoyed the entire tone. I too would have appreciated more character development, but all in all, the unique flavor and tension of the story blew me away. It was a fun ride...and I held onto the edge of my seat til the end!
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