Ronin (1998) - Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone...
Ronin, noun. In feudal Japan, a samurai warrior without a master, operating independently. This was considered dishonorable, and many ronin committed ritual suicide.
"Ronin," noun. A new movie starring Robert De Niro which has very little to do with the previous definition.
Sam (De Niro) is a ronin of sorts, a modern warrior separated from his former master, the CIA. His latest job: working with a group of fellow fired guns, retrieve a briefcase before it can be sold to the Russian mob. Their enigmatic employer (Natascha McElhone) won't tell them what's in the briefcase, or even who they're really working for, but at least the pay is good.
Sam's partners in crime include Gregor (Stellan Skarsgaard), a quiet electronics whiz; Vincent (Jean Reno), French coordinator; Larry (Skipp Sudduth), the designated driver; and Spence (Sean Bean), English weapons specialist. Whether CIA, IRA or KGB, each of these warriors are ronin in the waning of the Cold War.
"Ronin" is best described as a thinking man's action film - more time is spent on setting up the action than the action itself. A good portion of the movie depicts the characters sketching out plans on a whiteboard, then carefully executing these plans.
A real-world mercenary would, of course, need to do this, but in-depth planning isn't exactly exciting. The cerebral aspect is emphasized for these scenes, and viewers with a bit of patience will appreciate this nod to realism.
De Niro is, as always, excellent. His portrayal of the independent, professional, often arrogant Sam is on target - and that's the problem. Sam is entirely too detached from his work, making it hard to relate to the character. The rest of the cast follows that lead, turning in uniformly good performances, but everyone seems distant.
At long last, though, the action starts, one shoot-out per plot twist. It's carefully thought-out, emphasizing the intellectual. Everyone relies on his firearms, and people who get shot tend to stay dead, just like in real life. The camera work is a bit shaky at times, but effective overall. "Ronin" also has an abundance of increasingly outrageous car chases, each one expertly executed, even if they strain credulity towards the end.
Like the ronin in the movie, "Ronin" has a veiled master plan. The shadowy manipulator in this case is playwright David Mamet (writing under a pseudonym), and his influence is evident. The result is a film that is intelligent, sharp and worth seeing.
...dave
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