Girls with Guns 3.0
by Paulette Reynolds
June 9, 2012
by Paulette Reynolds
June 9, 2012
I like movies with assertive women, and when they’re armed and dangerous, I love ‘em! The current gun control debate does little to persuade me that women should take a back seat in protecting themselves, as the three examples below so deftly prove.
Saoirse Ronan plays the title character, HANNA (2011), a teen trained from birth as an assassin by her father, Erik Heller, (Eric Bana), a former spy. Her only goal is to elude his enemy, Marissa (Cate Blanchett), long enough to settle this long-standing blood feud.
Physically isolated since birth, Hanna is forced to rely on his lessons and the kindness of strangers as she adroitly plays cat-and-mouse with Erik's old nemesis. Hanna's skill as a trained assassin sharply contrasts with her lack of emotional maturity, sometimes making it hard to watch as she learns bitter-sweet lessons about friendship, trust, and sacrifice.
The cast is rounded out by Tom Hollander, Jason Flemyng, and Olivia Williams. Director Joe Wright (of Pride and Prejudice fame) seamlessly guides Hanna to its inevitable conclusion, but the movie suffers - ever so slightly - from uneven pacing. Ms. Blanchett is - as always - a true joy to watch while she explores unfamiliar territory as a villain and Saoirse Ronan tugs at our heartstrings as the 15 year-old Hanna.
SALT (2010) poses the question - Is she or isn't she? Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a dedicated CIA drone who may - or not be - a Russian spy. She goes on the hunt for her kidnapped husband, who becomes a bargaining chip to smoke out the elusive super spy, KA-12. CIA friend and co-worker, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), spends most of the movie trying to protect her while Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is breathing down both their necks.
Australian film director, Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger) keeps us on edge until the film's finale, taking us across the globe as Evelyn Salt seeks her particular brand of justice. and by the time the smoke clears and the plot twists unravel, we hardly care whether Ms. Salt is a traitor or not - after all, we're talking about Angelina Jolie!
COLOMBIANA (2011) is a cool crime thriller starring Zoe Saldana as Cataleya, a fearless child who makes her way to America, vowing revenge against the killers of her family. She grows up relying on her gun and guts as she methodically hunts down her numerous targets - one by one - trying to snag the attention of FBI Agent Ross (Lennie James) by leaving a picture of a cattalaya orchid as her calling card.
Cataleya manages to evade her boyfriend Michael's (Danny Delaney) nagging questions and her gang-banging uncle Emilio's (Cliff Curtis) growing concern that she's in waaay over her head. Yet her steely resolve - not to mention her two killer dogs - keep her focused on her prized target, mob boss Don Luis (Beto Benites).
Colombiana's Zoe Saldana delivers a solid but uninspired performance, proving once again that she may be doomed to struggle in second tier roles unless she steps out of her comfort zone (or hires a new agent). The firecracker in this flick is Amandla Stenberg, who plays the young Cataleya. She's only on screen a scant ten minutes, but boy - does she snap, crackle, and pop!
Saoirse Ronan plays the title character, HANNA (2011), a teen trained from birth as an assassin by her father, Erik Heller, (Eric Bana), a former spy. Her only goal is to elude his enemy, Marissa (Cate Blanchett), long enough to settle this long-standing blood feud.
Physically isolated since birth, Hanna is forced to rely on his lessons and the kindness of strangers as she adroitly plays cat-and-mouse with Erik's old nemesis. Hanna's skill as a trained assassin sharply contrasts with her lack of emotional maturity, sometimes making it hard to watch as she learns bitter-sweet lessons about friendship, trust, and sacrifice.
The cast is rounded out by Tom Hollander, Jason Flemyng, and Olivia Williams. Director Joe Wright (of Pride and Prejudice fame) seamlessly guides Hanna to its inevitable conclusion, but the movie suffers - ever so slightly - from uneven pacing. Ms. Blanchett is - as always - a true joy to watch while she explores unfamiliar territory as a villain and Saoirse Ronan tugs at our heartstrings as the 15 year-old Hanna.
SALT (2010) poses the question - Is she or isn't she? Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a dedicated CIA drone who may - or not be - a Russian spy. She goes on the hunt for her kidnapped husband, who becomes a bargaining chip to smoke out the elusive super spy, KA-12. CIA friend and co-worker, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), spends most of the movie trying to protect her while Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is breathing down both their necks.
Australian film director, Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger) keeps us on edge until the film's finale, taking us across the globe as Evelyn Salt seeks her particular brand of justice. and by the time the smoke clears and the plot twists unravel, we hardly care whether Ms. Salt is a traitor or not - after all, we're talking about Angelina Jolie!
COLOMBIANA (2011) is a cool crime thriller starring Zoe Saldana as Cataleya, a fearless child who makes her way to America, vowing revenge against the killers of her family. She grows up relying on her gun and guts as she methodically hunts down her numerous targets - one by one - trying to snag the attention of FBI Agent Ross (Lennie James) by leaving a picture of a cattalaya orchid as her calling card.
Cataleya manages to evade her boyfriend Michael's (Danny Delaney) nagging questions and her gang-banging uncle Emilio's (Cliff Curtis) growing concern that she's in waaay over her head. Yet her steely resolve - not to mention her two killer dogs - keep her focused on her prized target, mob boss Don Luis (Beto Benites).
Colombiana's Zoe Saldana delivers a solid but uninspired performance, proving once again that she may be doomed to struggle in second tier roles unless she steps out of her comfort zone (or hires a new agent). The firecracker in this flick is Amandla Stenberg, who plays the young Cataleya. She's only on screen a scant ten minutes, but boy - does she snap, crackle, and pop!
COPYRIGHT 2012/2016. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
