Ronin (1998)

No, it's not set in Japan. The title features in dialog for exactly one scene, when a minor character summarizes the legend of the 47 ronin, simplified for those who don't know about seppuku. The point is an implicit parallel: Where the ronin were samurai who lost their honor upon losing their lords, the main characters herein are post-Cold War laid-off secret agents, similarly inclined to become mercenaries if not thugs.

A multinational team of such mercs—Sam (Robert De Niro), Vincent (Jean Reno), Gregor (Stellan Skarsgård), Seamus (Jonathan Pryce), Larry (Skipp Sudduth), and Spence (Sean Bean)—assembles in Paris. Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), from an Irish mob, assigns them to grab a heavily guarded suitcase before a Russian mob acquires it. Unfortunately for them, they don't know each other or their employer well, and when dealing with ex-spies...

If anyone can be said to be the antiheroes of the piece, Sam and Vincent can. They grow relatively close to each other, aren't as nasty as some of the others, and might get the most screen time. Sam also develops feelings for Deirdre, despite misgivings about her trustworthiness.

I first became aware of this film from a TV special that mentioned having actors do their own stunts for authenticity. It turns out that while they were in cars that moved dangerously, only Sudduth actually drove; the rest had stunt drivers on the other side. Close enough in my book, what with a scarcity of special effects. Also authentic is Katarina Witt, a real Olympic figure skater playing a fictional one, because director John Frankenheimer wanted to shoot that kind of action regardless of its lack of importance to the story.

This is not a good movie in which to be an innocent bystander. I hadn't seen so many car crashes since The Blues Brothers. Also a lot of stray bullets, and the worse thugs shoot at innocents on purpose, if only to send a message regarding how brutal they are to enemies. Hopefully, these details won't ruin your enjoyment of several intense action sequences to make The French Connection blush.

Yeah, there's a reason I kept thinking of other crime flicks: It's practically a hodgepodge tribute to them, ranging from the '50s to the '90s. I thought particularly of the '70s, even tho Frankenheimer was more of a '60s director. One scene evokes his The Manchurian Candidate. And the suitcase might as well be a shout-out to Alfred Hitchcock, as characters highlight how, even in the end, they don't know what's in it. That's not the only MacGuffin, just the most prominent.

I don't always like it when a film combines the dark patience of prior decades with the over-the-top violence of modernity. That pretty well sums up my problem with Gangs of New York. For Ronin, however, it works pretty nicely. I don't put this piece on the same tier as Frankenheimer's older classics, but it was worth his effort to make.