Hanna is the kind of action movie I enjoy, where you understand the visual language. You see a lot without explanation, and what you don’t quite see often tells more of the story. Modern audiences may call this revolutionary. Let’s go with “old school.”

In her first scene hunting a deer, Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) disappears instantly with a camera move. We always see stealthy killers disappearing in a cut, but it means a lot more to show it fluidly. Hanna’s been trained out in the snow by her father, Erik (Eric Bana). If the deer didn’t convince you, her fight with Erik shows you she’s got skills.

Marisa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett) is introduced dramatically, from behind during her daily routine. That pays off later when she brushes her teeth with less confidence. Wiegler provides a brief dossier, something genetic about Hanna and covert about Erik. She’s the bad guy.

I’m being glib because I think it’s perfect that they don’t over explain too much. Eventually you learn exactly what’s special about Hanna but only when it dramatically pays off. As far as I’m concerned they could leave it vague. We just need to know there’s a basic relationship and antagonism. The story and the actors deliver the gravitas without explaining this is why they’re acting this way.

You completely understand the methodology of Hanna’s skills. When she escapes, you don’t exactly see all her moves but you know what she’s doing and how she’s leveraging her opponents. In a flashback for Wiegler, you hear a car crashing off camera, because what’s important is Wiegler’s action. A gunfight has all to do with Wiegler reaching her gun some distance ahead of her.

Hanna is not just an action thriller though. Hanna hooks up with a traveling family in an RV. Their daughter, Sophie (Jessica Barden), is such a spoiled brat it’s an adorable counterpoint. When her mom (Olivia Williams) asks Hanna how her mom, her blunt honesty is priceless.

This is all a very technical way of saying Hanna is awesome. The action is cool, the characters are memorable and it’s made in a clear, exciting way.

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana

Synopsis: A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

Release Date: April 8, 2011

Based on the novel Firewall, Echelon follows Nick Stone, an Secret Air Services soldier caught between the Russian Mafia and western secret agents trying to get their hands on the Echelon computer program. Eric Bana was originally attached to the lead but has since left the project. Good. Nothing against Bana because I’ve always enjoyed his work. It’s just that when you have a film about transporting money, weapons, tech, or hot Asians there’s really only one actor to be considered for the role. Jason Statham. And if he can’t do it, feel free to call Jeffrey Dean Morgan. (Deadline)

Today also marks the release of a poster for Hanna, starring Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan, in which a girl (Ronan) is trained to kill her CIA agent father (Bana). By all accounts, the movie is supposed to be exceptional, and the poster does those sentiments justice. The simplicity of it is striking, as are Ronan’s baby blues. (Film School Rejects)

In the film, Ronan plays a Swedish teenage assassin who was trained by her father, an ex-CIA spook. He sends her out on a mission, shit gets real, she bolts, and agents dispatched by ruthless operative Blanchett give chase. You mess with Blanchett’s stand-in, you mess with Blanchett herself. Or someone playing her.

"Up top! Nobody? No? Aw krikey."

Looks like Eric Bana won’t have a chance to play with his Christmas toys. He’s just signed on to a new crime thriller and has his eye on the presidency for another role.

Bana has signed on to Kin, opposite Olivia Wilde and Charlie Hunnam. In the film he and Wilde play siblings on the lam who encounter an ex-boxer played by Hunnam. Writer Zach Dean has said he came up with the idea while trapped on an airplane with faulty landing gear. I do my best thinking while crapping too.

In addition to Kin, Bana is practicing the proper pronunciation of Timur Bekmambetov‘s name before the two meet to discuss Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It’s not a done deal by any stretch but if Bana can rock the stove-pipe hat, the role just might be his. Unless Liam Neeson steps up to the plate. We kinda owe him a Lincoln role. (via Variety and The Wrap)