Ronin Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)October 3rd, 1998
"Ronin" - A Somewhat Honorable Thriller
By Homer Yen
(c) 1998
Rober DeNiro plays Sam, a man who ‘never walks into a place he doesn’t know how to walk out of.’ As a former operative, he is cunning in his approach, skilled at hunting his prey, and is now a mercenary-for-hire. He has just been given a job to steal a mysterious suitcase. To pull off this heist, however, he’ll need at least a few other specialists including international stars Jean Reno and Stellan Skarsgard. They painstaking plot out their attack plan, scope out their targets and develop escape routes. They position themselves carefully and work together to execute a flawless heist. Or is it flawless?
"Ronin" is a cloak-and-dagger thriller marked by beautiful French locales, hidden agendas, double-crosses, secretive employers, and intense car chases. In fact, the strongest asset of this film is the incredible car chases that could easily be considered some of the best car chase sequences EVER shot on film (and certainly the best that I’ve ever seen), which takes them through crowded downtown streets and through oncoming highway traffic. I also liked DeNiro’s almost deadpan approach to his task and his sense of cold, professional detachment. This is a man that focuses solely on his mission. Everything else, such as his possible attraction for one of his employers or even his bullet wounds, is just an afterthought.
"Ronin" doesn’t fail to generate suspense. Yet, despite this being a competent production, this film winds up leaving a dry taste in your mouth, and I kept thinking that there was a better movie in here somewhere. What happened? Because the plot is so thin, we begin to shift our attention to the characters. However, these professional killers were so icy cold in nature that a real sense of drama couldn’t be generated. Also, as the film developed, several other people who are interested in the contents of the suitcase are introduced, which made the film a bit confusing. There are some great gun battles and chase scenes and I thought that it was really cool how these professionals could maintain control throughout their frenetic situations. But the detached feeling of the film deprived me of the enjoyment of rooting for the hero and muted the sadness that I might have otherwise felt for a fallen team member. "Ronin" could have been pared down by about 20 minutes, which would have made this more taut and enjoyable. As it stands, it came across as somewhat uneven and lengthy although I thought that there was enough here to merit a recommendation.
Grade: B-
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