(out of 5)(out of 5)
Here's an analogy that I think will help give you an idea of what John Frankenheimer's Ronin is all about: Kung fu fight sequences are to Jackie Chan films as car chases are to Ronin. As anyone who has seen a Chan film knows, there are multiple spectacular fight scenes which serve as a buildup to the final conflict which is of such immense proportions you wonder how they ever choreographed it. The same can be said for the car chases in Ronin.
A team of top dogs in the secret agent field are assembled by IRA member Dierdre (Natasha McElhone) to retrieve a metal briefcase containing something unknown but which is vitally important to Dierdre and the unknown man who is employing this group of men. The team includes Sam (Robert De Niro) who the others assume to be ex-CIA, Vincent (Jean Reno), an American stunt driver named Larry, computer expert Gregor (Stellan Skarsgaard) and munitions expert Spence.
It's impossible to map out a coherent plot, or any plot for that matter. We learn that these men are to steal this briefcase from a group of eight to ten men in two to three cars. We don't know what's in the case, nor do we ever find out. The case is a Hitchcock McGuffin, whose only purpose is to move the story along and hold everyone's (audience and characters in the movie) interest.
For all its lack of plot, the movie strangely holds one's interest for the duration. There's something about the characters, the settings and the way the film is shot that make it appealing. Each of the characters is a mysterious Ronin (a masterless warrior as the opening story tells us). They are leftovers from the Cold War, no longer employed for any government purpose, they are freelance. They'll work for anyone who is willing to pay them the right amount of money.
The film's car chases are the highlight. They are the most beautifully choreographed and executed I've ever seen. Forget The French Connection, this film wasn't afraid to take any risks. Cars plow through fruit stands, buildings, lamp posts, other cars and innocent pedestrians as though it was any old day in France. The chases are staged in Paris, on a two lane mountain road, and on the narrow roads of Nice. The big finale of a chase scene takes place largely on the wrong side of the highway. It is thrilling and frightening to watch two cars chase one another while trying to avoid the four oncoming cars per second.
The editing is incredible and tremendous, not a beat is missed allowing you to see everything. It runs together so smoothly that I never felt like I was watching an action movie. And action movie cinematography has rarely been this good. In the opening scene, Paris is a back alley dump where you expect multiple muggings each night. Later it's a grand, majestic city. Everything else, from the open roads of the country to the crowded streets of Nice are extraordinarily shot. Visually, it's one of the most impressive I've seen this year.
Copyright © 1999 Jason Ihle. All rights reserved.