Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno and Stellan Skarsgard
‘A Crime Classic’
Few actors which achieved fame several years ago are as beloved as Robert De Niro. Since his rise to stardom in the’s, De Niro has become a legendary icon. Whether it’s raging boxers, taxi drivers or frightening gangsters, De Niro has portrayed several memorable characters. Arguably, De Niro’s finest strength as an actor has often been his approach of method acting. He’s one of those rare actors that has always poured both his heart and soul in every single role. An actor with an intense commitment to his craft, De Niro has become a world-famous icon in entertainment. Shining a bright light in darkness, the actor has become a legend in the entertainment business. Through his ability to portray larger than life characters which are compelling, De Niro has created a legacy that’s lasting. Throughout his career, De Niro has starred in countless memorable movies which are definitely without a doubt worth seeing.
I’m a huge fan of De Niro and adore all the moves he has made in his career. However, “Ronin” is truly his most underrated movie. Released in 1998, John Frankenheimer’s film offered a powerful portrait of Russian mobsters. Packed with strong production, engaging storytelling and strong acting, it’s one of the best crime films ever made. At the centre of it all is an iconic performance by Robert De Niro, who embodies an agent facing sorrow. Although “Ronin” is a strong crime drama, it isn’t a flawless move. It is unevenly paced, building to a problematic conclusion without resolution. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment for fans of crime dramas.
“Ronin” tells the story of mercenaries which seek to retrieve a briefcase with a desire to win. Robert De Niro portrays Sam, an Irish mercenary with a strong devotion towards his profession. Sam has always excelled at doing his job of resolving crimes that cause tension. However, Sam’s life changes when he is given a challenging task of retrieving a briefcase causing disaster. Under pressure, Sam questions his strong devotion towards a profession which involves dangers. As all odds are stacked against his favour, Sam is forced to question whether it’s possible for him to survive disaster. Given obstacles he has to face, Sam wonders whether he can retrieve a briefcase.
John Frankenheimer is fascinated with the lives of spies in grave danger. His iconic film “Seven Days in May” offered a bold portrait of the painful prices that spies have to pay. With “Ronin”, however, Frankenheimer made his first ever crime film. It was the director’s first attempt to capture agents experiencing adversity but he succeeded. Using stunning cinematography, Frankenheimer captures a mercenary embarking upon a journey to find his identity. Evoking Michael Mann’s “Heat”, Frankenheimer successfully uses handheld camerawork to capture mercenaries which are under heat. For instance, the handheld camerawork enhances the briefcase thefts scene. During this intense scene, Sam has a tense confrontation with mercenaries which have stolen his briefcase. Through handheld camera, Frankenheimer creates a portrait of mercenaries which is engaging. Handheld camerawork elevates is a tricky technique. As Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” proved clearly, handheld camera always enhances gangster films. Nevertheless, it works well. Using bold visuals, Frankenheimer captures tensions that mercenaries committing theft are facing.
Another admirable aspect of “Ronin” which merits appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, it’s one of the best crime movies. Recalling Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas”, Frankenheimer expertly uses costumes to capture criminals which face dilemmas. Throughout the film, Sam’s bold costumes showcase his transformation into a strong mercenary. For instance, costumes enhance the mercenaries meetings scene. During this unforgettable scene, Sam has a tense meeting with mercenaries showcasing his strong role as a hitman. Using stunning costumes, Frankenheimer crafts a portrait of hitmen which is compelling. Furthermore, the music is marvellous. Djivan Gasparyan’s music is key to the success of the movie. It gives the movie tense atmosphere capturing the painful burden mercenaries bear. Using strong production, Frankenheimer captures hitmen facing tension.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Ronin” is a crime movie which is engaging. The film is beautifully written, and expertly uses dramatic monologues to capture the tensions that mercenaries experience. For instance, monologues elevate the briefcase discovery scene. During this unforgettable scene, Sam delivers a monologue showing his reaction to the contents of a briefcase. Through strong monologues, Frankenheimer creates a portrait of mercenaries audiences can relate to. Dramatic monologues aren’t easy techniques to use in movies. As David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” proved clearly, monologues enhance movies about bipolar. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through a fantastic screenplay, Frankenheimer captives mercenaries which face a price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Robert De Niro delivers one of his greatest career performances as Sam. De Niro first earned appreciation for playing tormented taxi drivers in crime dramas. With “Ronin”, however, De Niro took on his most complex role. It isn’t easy to portray a mercenary on a journey to find his identity but he pulls it off successfully. This is the actor unlike you have ever seen him before: intense, strong and emotional in his most underrated role. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, grief and determination of a hitman facing tensions. It’s a powerful performance by one of the most commemorated actors in Hollywood today.
While the movie is mainly a showcase for De Niro, the supporting cast is also outstanding and worthy of praise. Jean Reno is riveting, capturing the sorrow of an FBI agent which seeks to apprehend mercenaries which are hard to follow. Stellan Skarsgard is superb, capturing the authority of a mercenary that is driven to work hard. Lastly, Sean Bean is worthy of attention. As a violent mercenary, he is unforgettable.
Despite its terrific performances, however, “Ronin” can’t quite capture the hardships mercenaries are facing. Frankenheimer’s choice to integrate subplots about political subplots into the movie is bold but hinders the pacing. Due toward this faulty decision, scenes capturing Sam’s interactions with political figures aren’t as engaging as his battles against spies. Moreover, the movie lacks a compelling ending. It’s an over the top ending that fails to bring the movie to a satisfying resolution. Whereas this ending elevated Brian De Palma’s “Scarface”, it clashes with tone of this movie. Therefore, “Ronin” can’t quite capture tensions that mercenaries are facing.
Nevertheless, fans of Robert De Niro will enjoy “Ronin” and so would movie-goers seeking enjoyable entertainment. A bold crime drama, it honours an iconic actor showing charisma.
Nearly 30 years following the release of a groundbreaking movie about mercenaries which face obstacles seeking to retrieve a briefcase, it’s a remarkable reminder of an actor that has built a lasting legacy by his abilities to portray compelling characters in memorable movies which audiences have grown to embrace.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 