Review of Ronin (1998) by Atlanta H — 30 Jul 2010

Finally saw this thing after renting it multiple times without watching it. Man, that was a mistake, cause I really dug this movie. It's about a group of former special forces and intelligence agents who contracted to steal a case with unknown contents. As the film moves along, things become clearer to audience as to who the characters are, what they're about and why they are there, although the case ends having similar use to the one in Pulp Fiction. The film has a really cool atmosphere similar to low tech thrillers from the 60's and 70's, which works really well with the script written by David Mamet. He has a very distinctive style with his dialogue, it's very cynical and street-smart, which works great with these ex-military operatives. The acting is also great, it's probably one of my favorite casts in a movie, featuring legend Robert De Niro as well as some lesser known, but fantastic actors, like Jean Reno and Stellan Skarsgaard. The real highlight the film, however, is the car chases. the late director, Frankenheimer, was known during his career for car work as he was a former racing driver, and every chase scene is shot without CG, meaning all the stunts were actually performed by people, making it that much more exciting. While I did have a few problems with the film, it can be a bit too confusing at times, the ending is a disappointment, and Sean Bean, one of my favorite actors, is underutilized, it's still a great thriller.

* An interesting note that a few other people have already mentioned, there are three Bond villains in this film. Sean Bean, AKA Alec Trevelyan, in Goldeneye, Jonathan Pryce, AKA Elliot Carver, in Tomorrow Never Dies, and Michel Lonsdale, AKA Hugo Drax, in Moonraker.