Every movie buff, film historian, and especially filmmaker, has one movie in their collection that shines as their one and absolute favorite. Maybe it's the movie they saw in theaters for the first time, or perhaps it's what they saw on their first date, or it could very well be the one they watched on TV in their rooms as a kid hidden away from their parents that made them want to be a filmmaker. For whatever reason, everyone has a favorite movie that they could watch many times over and never grow tired of it. Furthermore, I am of the opinion that you can tell a lot about a person by the movies they like. Today, I'm going to tell you about the film I consider my cinematic canon. The film I draw the most influence from both in my artistic endeavors and in my personal life. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, John Frankenheimer's Ronin.
Released in 1998, Ronin is a movie about loyalty, trust, and betrayal presented in a masterfully and beautifully constructed action framework. The story follows a group of mercenaries hired by Irish extremists to steal a mysterious case from the Russian mob. Amongst this motley crew is an American named Sam (Robert De Nero), who may or may not have worked for the CIA. Also amongst them is a Frenchman named Vincent (Jean Reno), with an even more mysterious background, but it's hinted that he may have worked for French Intelligence. Over the course of the film, the two men form a unique friendship and, ultimately, become the heart of the movie.
The film can best be described as a character-driven neo-noir action thriller. It is what you get when every single person involved with its production is playing their A game, demonstrates mutual respect for all participants, and shares a passionate enthusiasm for the material. Every person involved in the making of this film, from the cast to the composer, the cinematographer, and especially the director, loved making this film. It is the pinnacle of quality, professionalism, and excitement for the craft of movies. Few other films I have seen have ever even come close to matching its quality.
It is worth noting that the script for this film has a history that's equally fascinating as the movie itself. The early draft was penned by a writer named J.D. Zeik, which caught the eye of renowned director John Frankenheimer, who liked the general idea presented in the script but felt that it could use some polish from an outside perspective. He then proceeded to hire another writer (whose name I shall reveal in a moment) as a script doctor. Said writer then went on to completely change up the storyline, characters, dialogue, and general tone of the movie nearly to the point that it was no longer really J.D. Zeik's script. Upon reading the brand new draft, Frankenheimer loved it and decided right then and there to make that movie. This caused a significant dispute between Frankenheimer, the studio, and the WGA (Writers Guild of America). After everyone had cooled down, they all agreed to give J.D. Zeik a story and screenplay credit. However, the other writer approached Frankenheimer and requested that he be credited under a pseudonym. This is why you've never heard of any writer named Richard Weisz because his actual name is David Mamet, the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, screenwriter, and director. Yeah, I was surprised as well.
Starting with the cast: As you would expect, Robert De Nero brings his usual top-notch talent and skill to the role. He trained in handling and firing various weapons, he studied many tactics required of a professional spy, and he learned to speak French for the film. From the first moment you see his character on screen, you can tell that he is a calculating person who is always three steps ahead of everyone else. His performance is further enhanced by his terrific chemistry with his co-star Jean Reno. The two actors had great respect for each other and, as far as I can tell, loved every day of shooting. Jean Reno, most famous for his role as Leon in The Professional, brings a subtle amount of levity to the proceedings. Not by being goofy, but because his character looks at every situation he faces with a kind of optimistic if cynical confidence. No matter what's going on, he still manages to keep a leveled head and crack an occasional smile. These two excellent actors carry the film on their shoulders with ease and pride. Making their adventure all the more exciting and worthy of our time.
As I mentioned a moment ago, one of the ways to describe this film is neo-noir, as in modern film noir. For those of you who don't know, film noir is a subgenre of film that specializes in dark and gritty stories and presentations. Dictionary.com describes the genre as "a motion picture with an often grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair." Furthermore, in the book 101 Things I Learned in Film School by Neil Landau and Matthew Frederick, number 38 points out that everyone in film noir is corrupt, and that altruism is for suckers. What makes Ronin such a unique take on the film noir subgenre, at least to me, is the way in which it subverts this idea albeit in a small way.
NOTE:
To explain what I mean, I have to give SPOILERS. Usually, I would avoid doing so as I want to give anyone out there who has not yet seen Ronin the chance to do so with a clean slate. So, for those of you who wish to continue reading but still don't want any SPOILERS, from here on out, avoid any paragraphs that contain the SPOILERS prompt and that are written in RED.
Okay? Excellent. Moving on.
SPOILERS!
Okay, so it turns out that Sam (Robert De Nero) is actually still working for the CIA. His mission was to use the lure of the mysterious briefcase to draw out the ringleader of the Irish extremist group named Seamus (Jonathan Pryce). He accomplishes his goal as part of a joint effort between his agency and French Intelligence, i.e., his friend Vincent (Jean Reno). The way this twist subverts standard film noir, at least to me, is the fact that, despite Sam and Vincent performing shady acts and causing a fair amount of collateral damage, however unintentional, they did so with the sole intention of bringing down a more significant threat. This in no way justifies their actions entirely, as they still put innocent lives in danger through their efforts, but it does make their operations more understandable and even relatable. Because they did what they believed to be the best way to bring down a greater evil, seeking an altruistic goal that was accomplished in a less-than-noble fashion. This combination is still in keeping with film noir tradition, but offers up a slightly more optimistic outlook, making it a genuinely unique experience!
For those of you who skipped the last paragraph, the short version is that Ronin creates a rare opportunity for altruism and optimism in a subgenre that traditionally doesn't include either.
As a cinematographer, I feel I would be doing Ronin a disservice by not talking about its own photographic beauty. Ronin was photographed by a French cinematographer named Robert Fraisse. He spent most of his career working with renowned French director Jean-Jacques Annaud, late of Seven Years in Tibet and The Lover. However, it was the HBO TV film, Citizen X, that encouraged John Frankenheimer to give Robert a call.
There are three distinctive style choices for Ronin which made Robert Fraisse the perfect man for the job. First: Ronin was photographed in style known as "deep focus." For those of you who don't know, deep focus is when most of the image, if not the entire image, is presented clearly all throughout. Most traditional Hollywood films will utilize what's called a shallow depth-of-field, wherein the subject will be clear while the background will be blurred out. Deep focus photography allows the action and the characters to be easier to follow and creates a more profound sense of realism, which is what Frankenheimer wanted. Second: The film maintains a distinct color palette. Ronin keeps a dark color style avoiding primary colors. In fact, the color red is rarely seen in the film and only used to highlight something important. Anything on the shooting location that didn't match their color palette was temporarily removed for shooting. This was the films way of creating a gritty and dark style reminiscent of classic black & white noir movies while shooting in color. Third: The lighting is very naturalistic. Hollywood lighting styles tend to go one of two ways: There's glamorous, which is commonly used in Michael Bay films as his lighting tends to exemplify an extreme fashion, and then there's naturalistic (also known as practical), which is lighting that is made to be virtually invisible. Very few scenes ever look as though they were lit in such a way to exemplify a specific mood or element. This further creates the more realistic tone of the film as it causes the audience to pay more attention to the characters and the story.
Of course, the photography doesn't really add up to anything without editing. Assembled by Antony Gibbs Ronin pioneered the quick style of editing often used in action films today. The editing, especially during the action scenes, is sharp, fast, and carefully timed, creating a sense of intensity to the action. Many editors working today have taken inspiration from Ronin for their own work, emulating the fast-paced style from the film. However, what many modern editors fail to realize is that, while the editing in Ronin was quick, it was not hyper. Antony Gibbs did give Ronin a fast style, but he put a lot of thought and effort into every single cut. When watching an action scene in Ronin, you are able to follow every single motion on screen with ease. This is mainly because Antony Gibbs remembered to keep a sense of continuity with his cuts. As a result, though there may be up to twenty different shots of the same scene, they all flow together seamlessly as one consistent moment. Furthermore, nothing is exaggerated. There is no slow motion or aggressive camera movement that obscures your ability to comprehend the action. This is often forgotten by most modern filmmakers, and as a result, we get action scenes that are shot with a hyperactive handheld shaky camera, combined with editing that does not have any continuity between shots. Even worse, these filmmakers will use post-production tools like earthquake filters to intensify the blurriness of the image even more. This is why Ronin is the best, and maybe the only, example of good quick editing.
Another element that makes Ronin so recognizable is its fantastic car chases. All the car chases were shot practically throughout France. Most of the driving was done by a French Formula 1 driver named Jean-Pierre Jarier. Who was so precise and accurate with his driving, that despite having to make multiple high speed turns, he managed to land the car in the exact same spot on every single take. To the point where the director commented that he could have placed the camera ten feet closer to the action if he wanted to and not worry about getting hit by the car. Another aspect of the chase scenes that makes them so visceral is that the main cast is actually in the cars. One actor named Skipp Sudduth, who plays a supporting character named Larry, requested that he actually drive the car for the chase scenes. To which the director replied, "I don't want to see any brake lights."
When talking about Ronin, it is impossible to do so without mentioning the music. Composed by Elia Cmiral, the music of Ronin is somber, poetic, energetic, and sometimes even relaxing. The most famous aspect of the music which gives Ronin part of its identity is the use of a unique instrument called an Armenian Duduk. A wooden flute-like instrument which produces a rich and somber sound, almost like a weeping bird. I listen to the soundtrack quite often, especially when I'm driving (though I make sure not to pretend I'm in a high-speed chase on the highway). Here is an example of the Duduk in action. You can hear it about 46 seconds into the clip.
All of these elements are fully realized and affectionately handled under the talented and skilled eye of director John Frankenheimer. You've seen his name throughout this review so now it's time to actually give him some focus. By 1998, Frankenheimer had been making movies for well over forty years. Some of his most noteworthy films include Grand Prix and Seven Days in May. He had a keen eye for shot composition, visual storytelling, and directing actors. He was indeed an all-around artist. Sadly, Frankenheimer passed away in 2002. His legacy will live on...as we pretend The Island of Dr. Moreau never happened.
When approaching the script for Ronin, Frankenheimer was mostly inspired by classic crime thrillers like The French Connection. He was one of the few filmmakers to be allowed to shoot the majority of the film in Paris despite featuring scenes of gunplay and a citywide ordinance against staged gunfights. Frankenheimer had lived in Paris for years and wanted to showcase it as a city that was great for making films. Fortunately, the French government felt the same way and granted Frankenheimer special permission to shoot his movie in Paris. The most famous location, at least to me, is the stairs leading to a bar where the film begins and ends. My father and I found them once and took a quick visit as well as some pictures.
If you're ever in Paris and want to visit this site for yourself, you can find the exact location here.
Ronin is the kind of film that makes people like myself utter the phrase "they don't make them like they used to." It's an artfully crafted edge-of-your-seat thriller that even to this day still feels as fresh and enjoyable as it did the day it opened in theaters. I highly encourage anyone who is into movies in any capacity, be they casual or professional, to add this movie to your collection. Furthermore, I especially recommend the new Blu-Ray release from Arrow Video. It is, without a doubt, the best copy of Ronin ever produced. You will find a link to said Blu-Ray below.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you so very much for reading. I hope you enjoy this classic film as much as I enjoy both watching it and talking about it.
And remember...
"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt."
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