Thanks to Hanna, the hard-hitting new action thriller from director Joe Wright (“Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement”), fairytales aren’t just for youngsters any more. And make no mistake – “Hanna” and its eponymous heroine (played by Saoirse Ronan, who somehow manages to be a chilling assassin, innocent teenager, and, eventually, the kind of hero you stand up and cheer for) are straight from a fairy tale book, even though automatic weapons and SUV’s have replaced swords and pumpkin carriages. There’s even a chase through a Brothers Grimm-themed amusement park!

Hanna is a 16-year-old girl raised in the wilds of Finland by her ex-assassin father Erik (Eric Bana), under whose watchful, mournful eyes she’s become adept at shooting, archery, and generally bringing swift death to anything in her path. Their idyllic cabin life together is soon shattered by the deliciously evil Marissa Wiegler, played by Cate Blanchett, a CIA agent intent on “retiring” Erik and his daughter for good.

Pretty soon, Hanna is being chased across Europe by Wiegler and a sadistic, track-suited mercenary (Tom Hollander) who whistles his way through various acts of violence. Although there are plenty of fights as Hanna makes her way to Berlin to meet up with her father, she also has time to get to know a family she travels part of the way with.

Her scenes with them, especially the neo-hippie mother and her Valley girl daughter, are some of the most poignant in the entire film. Hanna learns the values of friendship and lets down her guard enough to reveal a more innocent, human side of her personality.

She’s on the move again soon enough, though, accompanied by the trance-inducing original score by the The Chemical Brothers. The electronic band’s mesmerizing, churning rhythms mesh perfectly with the action as “Hanna” races towards its climatic showdown.