Ronin Review
by "Luke Buckmaster" (bucky AT alphalink DOT com DOT au)February 22nd, 1999
RONIN
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean, Skipp Sudduth, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Lonsdale, Katarina Witt
Director: John Frankenheimer
Screenplay: J.D. Zeik and Richard Weisz
Reviewed by Luke Buckmaster
On the Buckmaster scale of 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece): 2 and a half stars
The plot of Ronin relies heavily on a valuable briefcase. As in Pulp Fiction, the contents of this briefcase are never revealed, for the simple fact that what is inside of it is insignificant to the film's overall meaning. The briefcase is a tool - or, if you like, an excuse - to give characters the chance to entertain us. That theory pretty much works with all that Ronin has to offer. Director John Frankenheimer (who has had more than forty years of experience in the field) sacrifices a potentially powerful film for the sake of individual, insignificant moments. Ordinarily that might work in a simplistic action flick, but in one that tries to tell as much as Ronin does, success is somewhat limited.
On paper, Ronin certainly has all the assets of a great action film. The past has proven that great action films often do not have great action stars, but rather, solid dramatic actors having a little fun in slightly easier roles. The gripping crime saga Heat positioned Al Pacino alongside Robert DeNiro, and equally peculiar combinations were found in Face/Off (John Travolta and Nicholas Cage) and The Negotiator (Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey). I was pleased to see DeNiro and Jean Reno (two actors who have proven that they can do more than just look tough, which they do pretty well anyway) form a solid partnership, although they end up twiddling their thumbs with too much screen time and too little to do.
An international team of covert operatives are hired to retrieve a mysterious briefcase. The smart and smug Sam (Robert DeNiro) becomes the obvious leader of the group. When asked if he had ever killed anybody, Sam answers "once I hurt somebody's feelings." The other operatives are French coordinator Vincent (Jean Reano), driver Larry (Skipp Sudduth), weapons specialist Spence (Sean Bean, best known for his role as 006 in Goldeneye) and hi-tech gadgets specialist Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard). Holding the team together is employer Deirdre (Natasha McElhone), who is equally as cold as the people working for her.
Ignore the stylish backdrops and sophisticated European settings - Ronin makes little sense. Its screenplay by J.D. Zeik and Richard Weisz sprouts various developments, ranging from betrayal to even a hint of romance. There's a surprise bad guy, another surprise bad guy, a good guy, another good guy, a coward, and so forth. Before Ronin develops its primary characters, more characters are introduced. Before Ronin allows us to absorb the seriousness of its scenarios, another one is on the way. This makes for tense and often gripping moments, but I feel that the film would have benefited from a little more breathing space. Enemy of the State staged a similar intensity, but this was done intentionally and intelligently, whereas Ronin seems to try too hard to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Frankenheimer deliberately refrains from developing his central characters. You will walk away from Ronin not knowing much about who they are or what motivates them, with the exception of some minor details (Sam is there purely for the money, that's for sure). For the most part, the coldness and bitterness of the film's relationships work on exactly the right levels. Even when Sam and Vincent develop a loyal friendship, you get the feeling that something is holding them back. Their professionalism is unshakable; if one saves the life of the other, their initial reaction is not to show their appreciation, but to return the favor. DeNiro and Reno give convincing performances in the most likeable parts, and the bittersweet supporting cast get their moments to shine.
In a silly little voice over at the film's completion, Frankenheimer almost seems to be asking us not to condemn his film for its lack of emotion. Whilst I appreciated the way Ronin captures the spirit of the killer for hire industry, Frankenheimer spells it out to us in big bright letters, rather than allowing viewers to walk away with a personal interpretation as to how it works. The industry is cold. C - O - L - D.
"A thinking man's action pic" is the general description that many have given this film. My two cents says that its creators certainly did think about what they were doing, but tried to make too much out of too little. Ronin certainly has many rewarding moments (including a couple of eye popping chase scenes), and a handful of performances of an unusually high standard. But Frankenheimer never lets his settings or characters come alive in the way they should have. Not only does he sacrifice a potentially powerful film for the sake of some exciting moments, but also a wide range of intriguing characters for a wide range of inaccessible ones.
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Review © copyright Luke Buckmaster
Alphalink Movies
http://moviezone.alphalink.com.au
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