VOD Spotlight: Thriller “Hanna” is interpreted by graphic artists

The title character of this adventure thriller, Hanna (played by Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan, Atonement), is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland.

Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Clearly director Joe Wright’s thriller Hanna is built for action. The heart-pounding chases, bone-crunching fights, and gun-popping villains are expressed with such visual panache that the film feels as if a graphic novel had come to life. But Hanna is wholly original, and not adapted from anything. To get a sense if what it might look like it the filmmakers had pulled Hanna off the screen and put it on the page, three prominent graphic artists were asked to present their takes on the action yarn. Their fascinating results are here. (Illustrator Aaron Minier’s take is shown above.) Based on the impressive results, it probably won’t be a surprise if Hanna does, in fact, become a graphic novel at some point.

“Hanna” is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.

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Image courtesy of Focus Features.com