A trio of men meets in a dingy bar in a more sordid section of
Paris. At the appointed time, they get into a van and go to a meeting place in
a warehouse. After a night's sleep, the group's leader, a young Irish woman
named Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) explains their assignment. They are to steal
a package from a well-armed group of men somewhere in the Nice countryside.
Deirdre won't tell them what's in the package, but only that her people want it
very badly. The men, including Sam (Robert DeNiro) and Vincent (Jean Reno) get
their guns and equipment in a meeting that turns nasty when their supplier tries
to screw them by setting up an ambush, and then--after barely surviving the ambush--they
just narrowly escape getting caught by the Paris police. And all of this mayhem
occurs before the actual heist goes down!
Plot wise, Ronin is pretty simple. Yet it draws its complexity in the way that
it executes this plot. The story at first unfolds in a slow, almost careful
manner, as the men--and lone woman--warily get to know and trust one another.
Ronin also handles its story with a great deal of intelligence: the characters
smartly don't take any great risks unless they absolutely have to. The expected
twists and turns in the plot come naturally, not out of left field. The superb
cast is another reason why this film is so watchable. Robert DeNiro brings his
smooth, naturalistic acting style to his role as Sam, giving the viewer the
impression that he's a world-weary mercenary who's seen it all and would rather
not see it again. Jean Reno is the perfect partner to DeNiro; Reno's Vincent is
another professional who firmly believes in watching your partner's back.
Natascha McElhone more than holds her own with the boys, without becoming one of
them.
Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean and Jonathan Pryce round out the marvelous cast.
All were directed with a sure hand by one of the masters of the brainy action
flick, the late John Frankenheimer. A few years before his death, Frankenheimer
enjoyed a resurgence in his directing career, which resulted in him directing Ronin.
His prowess at handling action scenes is just as good as his skills with working
with actors: the car chase scenes in this film are among some of the finest ever
filmed. Ruthless in their intensity, you'll find yourself flinching involuntarily
as the cars careen down the too-narrow French streets at impossible speeds.
Frankenheimer also made good use of the French locations, giving the viewer a
real feel for the area. The special features include an audio commentary by
Frankenheimer, an alternate ending, and an 8-page booklet with some interesting
facts about the film. And so if you're looking for a decent action film that
won't insult your intelligence, give Ronin a whirl.
--SF
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