Ryan Shoots First: Hanna
Hanna represents the next big spy thriller series from Amazon. You may remember from a few months ago after the Super Bowl the pilot was available to stream for a short time and while the pilot was entertaining enough I don’t think it adequately represented the dynamics and relationships the show develops over the course of the eight episodes in season one.
Hanna stars new comer Esme Creed-Miles who plays the titular young assassin. Raised in the forest she is trained quietly under the eye of Joel Kinnaman’s Erik. She is trained not only to be the perfect killing machine but one no one would expect and that could not only sneak into any situation but also be inconspicuous on the way out. I was happy to see Kinnaman’s success with the role as he has had the unfortunate place of being given some high profile roles that just didn’t catapult him as many thought it would. He was Rick Flag in Suicide Squad which was just a mess and also the main character in Netflix’s Sci-fi noir series Altered Carbon which just kinda came and went. He is that guy that Hollywood just keeps trying to make happen. Erik and Hanna’s relationship is what drives the show as Hanna struggles to find her place and reconcile with her upbringing as she comes of age in a very weird world and also fights off the black book CIA organizations constantly after her. Creed-Miles though young really does a great job tacking a complicated multi faceted role. The ability to transition from young naivety to bad ass woman assassin is not an easy one to do and the entire show hinges on it. If that role doesn’t work the whole show falls apart.
The action is very well done and has all the hallmarks of the slick spy thriller fight scenes and creativity we are used to seeing in top Hollywood films. Many are comparing Hanna to the likes of Kill Bill but I tend to think the show is less gimmicky than Kill Bill was. It is stylistic but not in the same over the top almost cartoonish way of Kill Bill. It’s brutal and slick but still grounded in a semi real way. The show also dives heavy into the coming of age story of Hanna as she is a young girl struggling to find herself and uncover the mysteries of her past. Something we can all relate to without being a specially trained elite assassin.
My only gripe with Hanna is that it is a very heavy show. It’s not what I would call “binge-able”. While not really a knock in today’s day shows really strive for that sense that after one episode ends you can’t wait to skip the intro and dive into the next. After episodes of Hanna I felt somewhat exhausted and wasn’t sure I could take another 40-50 minutes of that. It certainly does not mean the show is worth skipping but you may not burn through the whole season in a day or two. Take your time if need be and watch one episode a week “like the old days”. A little self-discipline can go a long way.
Hanna stands to join Amazon’s other action thrillers like Jack Ryan and The Man in the High Castle, as the streaming service’s next hit show. Hanna is also added proof that Amazon may be doing the suspense filled action thriller better than anyone else.
