Ronin (1998)

Ronin (John Frankenheimer, 1998) John Frankenheimer's long directorial career started out with him as a young television "turk," who wasn't afraid to be controversial or veer into the surreal. Early works like The Manchurian Candidate (the earlier, better one), Seven Days in May and Seconds (Rock Hudson's finest hour) showed a film-maker not afraid to tackle political and social issues in an entertaining, often satirical way. He'd veer off into odd territory like Grand Prix, and The Gypsy Moths, where the indifferent material would win out over his film-making expertise. The films would be a technical marvel, but descend into soap-opera when not behind the wheel, or falling through space. 

On occasion, he'd even hit the skids (Prophecy, The Extraordinary Seaman, 99 and 44/100% Dead). But then, there are his thrillers, like Black Sunday, and even French Connection II (which had Gene Hackman's "Popeye" Doyle in France to track "Frog One") that in their final acts are primers on how to stage chases and action finale's--bare-boned, fast-paced and visceral.

His master-class in action directing, Ronin, however, is like an entire final act--lean and mean, with no fancy motivations and cryptic dialogue. It is a job done among professionals (or at least those who consort themselves as professionals). It is the heist film reduced to the most rich of consommés. Even the "Object of Desire" (or "McGuffin," if you will) is obscure—it is never established what is in "that" suitcase that everybody wants, nor does it matter. They just want it, and are willing to plot, and double-cross and double-deal to get it. The characterizations are on the thin side--people just have their jobs to do, and their marks and targets to hit. Their history is their reputation and their reputation is why they're on the job. 

Nobody's going to be discussing their childhoods and nobody cares to ("You ever kill anybody?" "I hurt somebody's feelings once" is as close as anybody comes). The dialog is circumspect, ironic, and arrogant (in the french meaning of the term). The fact that they are there means they are good enough to have survived to be there. Do the job.

And the cast is superb. Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Natascha McElhone (where's she been?), Stellan Skarsgard, Michael Lonsdale, and Jonathan Pryce, all doing professional, unsentimental work. The set-pieces are amazing, especially a car chase through the Paris tunnels. But just as much care goes into the staging of the planning. If anybody wants to see how the "Mission:Impossible" franchise should be done, this movie is the model.