Hanna review: Esme Creed-Miles packs a solid punch in the high-concept thriller

Alright, it’s a late review. But something as cinematic as Hanna needs to be written about. In 2011, a movie with the same title had released, starring Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, Brooklyn, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as the main lead, Hanna. This Amazon Prime Original is an elaborated version of Hanna’s journey. The series begins in Romania, 2003, when Erik Heller (Joel Kinnaman) and Hanna’s mother Johanna (Joanna Kulig) flee with baby Hanna from a mutation centre where girls are brought up and trained in order to create super soldiers.

After the accidental death of Johanna while fleeing, Erik raises Hanna in the Polish forest. He trains her to be a skilled assassin with the intent of killing Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos), a senior CIA officer who is searching for both of them in order to kill Heller and take Hanna back to the centre. Hanna and Erik are separated by the operatives of Marissa when they attack and capture Hanna and the latter is forced to flee to Berlin, Germany. A 16-year-old Hanna is taken to the underground CIA complex in Morocco but she successfully manages to escape. That’s when Marissa sees the first glimpse of Hanna’s calibre. What follows is a journey of Hanna trying to get to Berlin to reunite with Erik and Marissa’s ruthless operation to find both of them.

Watch the trailer of Amazon Prime Original Hanna here:

I haven’t watched Joe Wright’s original film Hanna (2011) that in addition to Saoirse Ronan, starred Cate Blanchett as Marissa Wiegler and Eric Bana as Erik Heller. So, there was nothing to compare. The series Hanna is a blend of coming-of-age drama and a high-concept thriller. The first couple of episodes require patience to watch but the series soon gains its ground and as the suspense is revealed bit by bit, you get engrossed in Hanna’s journey.

This journey spanning over eight episodes takes you from Romania, Poland, Morocco, France, England, to Germany. As Hanna starts her journey to find Erik, in the process she discovers life outside the forest and the truth about her identity. The conflict between the wild animalistic instincts and being a vulnerable young girl tests Hanna throughout her journey. She doesn’t shake hands; she’s more likely to twist those.

Esme Creed-Miles gives a breakthrough performance as Hanna. From the first scene to the very last one, you can’t take your eyes off her. She brings a sense of uncertainty in her character that makes her intriguing and unpredictable.

Esme Creed-Miles and Joel Kinnaman in a still from Hanna

Joel Kinnaman as Erik Heller is superb. He portrays every phase of Erik’s life, physical and mental, to perfection. Mireille Enos as the cunning CIA officer is ruthless and scary. Another notable mention is the British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla as Jerome Sawyer who is equally cruel and deceiving as Marissa, albeit not smarter. Casting Director Shaheen Baig certainly deserves the credit here.

Mireille Enos as Marissa Wiegler in Hanna

The series is written and created by David Farr who had written Joe Wright’s film Hanna as well. Although it’s an American show, the treatment is quite like European cinema. It is directed by four directors – Sarah Adina Smith, Jon Jones, Amy Neil, and Anders Engström (two episodes each).

The grim and grey Europe, the uncertainty of the plot and the superb action is remarkably shot by cinematographers Dana Gonzales, Mark Patten, Kate Reid, and Mark Wolf. Composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow’s music remains in sync with the silence and the chaos. The Anti-Lullaby by Karen O that plays over the montages is also motion picture brilliance.

It is not a binge watch. You might need a break to move on with consecutive episodes but hang in there. It gets better with every episode. As Hanna walks towards the forest in the end, one question popped up – season 2 on the cards? Well, I’d definitely like to see Hanna taking on a new adventure.

Rating: 3.5 stars