Hanna

Hanna is a thrilling tale about a German man who trained his teenage daughter to fend off all enemies. Throughout her young life, he teaches her self defense, attack methods, languages, even made-up facts about her home. She has no home, except in the forest. And she has no life, except that which her father (Eric Bana) has created for her.

She will need all of these skills to survive when she turns on the signal that allows Marissa, a US government agent, to find her. Marissa is played by a fierce but rather stoic Cate Blanchett, who must be evil because she uses a slow Southern accent (which comes and goes).

It's a new idea, it's a fascinating one. We don't know everything there is to know about Hanna. But neither does she. We learn as she does. Her one weakness, it seems, is something that isolation has brought her.

Young actress Saoirse Ronan is a tour-de-force here. We expect to see her for a long time.

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