Hanna
Raised by her father, an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing has been geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.
Despite a respectable budget of $30.0M, Hanna became a commercial success, earning $63.8M worldwide—a 113% return.
8 wins & 26 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Hanna (2011) demonstrates deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Joe Wright's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 51 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.5, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Hanna
Erik Heller
Marissa Wiegler
Sophie
Rachel
Isaacs
Main Cast & Characters
Hanna
Played by Saoirse Ronan
A 16-year-old girl raised in isolation by her ex-CIA father, trained to be a perfect assassin with enhanced DNA capabilities.
Erik Heller
Played by Eric Bana
Hanna's father and former CIA operative who has been training her in the wilderness to take revenge on those who destroyed their lives.
Marissa Wiegler
Played by Cate Blanchett
A ruthless CIA agent obsessed with capturing and eliminating Hanna and Erik to protect her dark secrets from the past.
Sophie
Played by Jessica Barden
A free-spirited British teenager who befriends Hanna and introduces her to normal teenage life and experiences.
Rachel
Played by Olivia Williams
Sophie's bohemian mother who travels through Morocco with her family and shows Hanna maternal warmth.
Isaacs
Played by Tom Hollander
A sadistic and flamboyant German assassin hired by Marissa to hunt down Hanna and Erik.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hanna hunts a reindeer in the frozen Finnish wilderness with a bow and arrow, demonstrating her lethal precision and survival skills in complete isolation with her father Erik.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Hanna declares she is ready and activates the transponder beacon, alerting the CIA and Marissa Wiegler to their location - voluntarily ending her sheltered existence and initiating the hunt.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Hanna kills the Marissa decoy and violently escapes the CIA black site, breaking out into the Moroccan desert - her first time alone in the real world, committing fully to her mission and freedom., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Hanna discovers the truth about herself at an internet cafe - she is not Erik's biological daughter but a genetically engineered super-soldier from a CIA program her mother was part of, and Marissa killed her mother., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Isaacs attacks the family's camper, terrorizing Sophie and her family. Hanna realizes her presence has endangered innocent people she cares about - the "whiff of death" touches those closest to her., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Hanna reunites with Erik in Berlin at the safe house. Together they plan to confront Marissa directly - Hanna chooses to stop running and face her creator, combining her training with her newfound humanity., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Hanna's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Hanna against these established plot points, we can identify how Joe Wright utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Hanna within the action genre.
Joe Wright's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Joe Wright films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Hanna takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Joe Wright filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance. For more Joe Wright analyses, see Darkest Hour, The Soloist and Anna Karenina.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hanna hunts a reindeer in the frozen Finnish wilderness with a bow and arrow, demonstrating her lethal precision and survival skills in complete isolation with her father Erik.
Theme
Erik tells Hanna about the outside world during their training, implicitly asking: "Adapt or die" - suggesting that survival requires becoming something more than what you were made to be.
Worldbuilding
Hanna's isolated existence in the Arctic cabin is established: her rigorous combat training, her encyclopedic knowledge recitations, her father Erik's protective vigilance, and the mysterious transponder that will summon their enemy.
Disruption
Hanna declares she is ready and activates the transponder beacon, alerting the CIA and Marissa Wiegler to their location - voluntarily ending her sheltered existence and initiating the hunt.
Resistance
Erik gives Hanna final instructions and escapes separately. Hanna allows herself to be captured by CIA operatives, is taken to an underground facility in Morocco, and prepares mentally for her mission to kill Marissa.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Hanna kills the Marissa decoy and violently escapes the CIA black site, breaking out into the Moroccan desert - her first time alone in the real world, committing fully to her mission and freedom.
Mirror World
Hanna encounters Sophie and her bohemian British family at a Moroccan campsite. Sophie becomes Hanna's first friend, representing normal teenage life and genuine human connection that Hanna has never experienced.
Premise
Hanna travels through Morocco and Spain with Sophie's family, experiencing music, friendship, boys, and ordinary life for the first time while evading Marissa's relentless pursuit and her hired assassin Isaacs.
Midpoint
Hanna discovers the truth about herself at an internet cafe - she is not Erik's biological daughter but a genetically engineered super-soldier from a CIA program her mother was part of, and Marissa killed her mother.
Opposition
Marissa and Isaacs close in relentlessly. Hanna's connection with Sophie's family puts them in danger. Isaacs tracks Hanna through Spain, and she must navigate both her identity crisis and the escalating threat.
Collapse
Isaacs attacks the family's camper, terrorizing Sophie and her family. Hanna realizes her presence has endangered innocent people she cares about - the "whiff of death" touches those closest to her.
Crisis
Hanna flees alone, processing the trauma of endangering her only friends. She must reconcile being a weapon with wanting human connection, facing the dark truth that she may never have a normal life.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hanna reunites with Erik in Berlin at the safe house. Together they plan to confront Marissa directly - Hanna chooses to stop running and face her creator, combining her training with her newfound humanity.
Synthesis
The final confrontation unfolds at the abandoned Grimm fairy tale theme park. Erik sacrifices himself fighting Marissa's men. Hanna pursues Marissa into the decaying attraction, hunting her through twisted storybook settings.
Transformation
Hanna kills Marissa with an arrow, mirroring her opening hunt. She says "I just missed your heart" before the kill - no longer just a programmed weapon, but a conscious person choosing to end the threat and claim her own life.