Hanna (2011)

Last weekend we popped to the cinema to see Hanna, a very stylish thriller starring Saorise Ronan as the eponymous 'hero', a teenage girl genetically-modified and trained to become a killer - a bit like Kick-Ass' Hit Girl but without the comic book stylings. The action is more Bourne and toned down a little for a 12A rating, which I still think is a bit low considering what goes on but hey. Hanna is also reminiscent of James Bond's travelogue-like attributes - the movie begins in a presumably Scandanavian snowscape and moves through Morocco, Spain and France to reach Berlin and the whole feels very European in tone, which makes sense as it's a German-UK-US co-production. Starring two Australians (Eric Bana as Hanna's 'father' and Cate Blanchett as baddie Marissa Weigler) and Irish Ronan. 

There's a lot to like about Hanna, from the gorgeous scenery, frenetic fight scenes and the performances of all involved. Tom Hollander pops up as a badly dressed mercenary, and Hanna makes friends with a young girl and her family on their camper van trip across Europe who add some humour to the otherwise serious plot. Really it's just a big chase movie, and there's very little that Hanna is trying to say, there doesn't appear to be a message. It's a hugely enjoyable tour de force of filmmaking, with not a CGI robot to be seen. If only all thrillers were as intelligent and visceral as this.