For movie lovers

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Hannah

Have you wondered what the Bourne Trilogy would be like if Jason Bourne was a 14 year old girl?  Well, if you have then just see Hannah.  I'm certainly not the first, nor will I be the last, to draw the comparison between the two films.  The similiarities between the two films are just so striking that it's the most apt comparison.  Each title character is physically gifted in hand to hand combat and seems to have a sixth-sense for sniffing out trouble.

What makes the films different, though, is the approach that each title character takes to their predicament.  Bourne is deeply troubled by who he is and considers his capabilities a character flaw of sorts.  Hannah, on the other hand, embraces the rigorous training she receives (and there is quite a bit).  She spends years learning dozens of languages, mastering martial arts, marksmanship, etc.  She's the world's deadliest teenage girl.  Unlike Bourne, who was molded into the killer that he became, Hannah is truly born to be a weapon.

Of course there is a backstory explaining exactly who Hannah is and where she comes from.  It is not giving much away by divulging that she is a special child and highly important people want to capture her or kill her. Enter Cate Blanchett.  The relationship between the two is important, but the film only hints at why.

The movie is more impactful than the Bourne series because the main character is a young girl.  Somehow we're ok with the violence that Matt Damon can inflict, but seeing a female child wield weapons and snap necks is much more startling.

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-  Stuart