"You talkin' to me?" Reno and DeNiro take aim in Ronin.

Ronin
United Artists, 1998
Directed by John Frankenheimer

$$$

In this artistically bankrupt era of big budget Bruckheimer-esque filmmaking, the phrase "action movie" is usually dismissively preceded by the word "dumb." Enter,Ronin, a throwback to the idea that a movie can be both exciting and smart.

As political action thrillers go, it's top notch. Director John Frankenheimer is a master of the genre. With a packed resume that already includes The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May and the underrated Year of the Gun, the old vet delivers a rock solid comeback.

His thrillers thrill because they maintain an edge of plausibility. The script, co-written by David Mamet, under a pseudonym, is intriguing and clever without being too clever for its own good. It's reality twisted through the funnel of dramatic storytelling. The film as a whole may be too-much-fun-to-be true, but you always feel that what's happening on screen at any moment could actually happen. Casting Robert DeNiro in the lead also goes a long way toward maintaining that realistic feel. As an action star, he's no Schwarzenegger -- and that's a good thing.

In Ronin he's Sam, a covert-ops expert who may or may not have ties to the CIA. He joins a band of other rouge mercenaries enlisted to steal an elusive metal briefcase. What's in the case? It doesn't much matter to these hired guns -- what matters is getting paid. (The title refers to the term given to ancient Japanese Samurai who lost their master.)

It's no secret DeNiro excels at playing tough guys. In Ronin, a movie chock full of tough guys, he's the toughest by far. (So tough he can stay awake to give instructions while having a bullet dug out of his flesh -- without anesthesia. It's a scene that's tough to watch.) It's a fun performance and it anchors the film. But DeNiro is aided by a first rate cast assembled from other recent entries in the political action thriller genre: Jonathan Pryce (the villain from Tomorrow Never Dies), Sean Bean (the baddie from GoldenEye), and for good measure, the intimidating Stellan Skarsgard (the villain from The Hunt for Red October). Even Michel Lonsdale (Moonraker's bad guy) shows up. Natascha McElhone (The Devil's Own) brings up the film's estrogen count a bit. But most notable is Jean Reno (The Professional, Mission: Impossible) who lends his low-key cool to the character of Vincent, who becomes Sam's biggest ally.

But the most staggering element of the film are two of the most stunning car chases in recent memory. Frankenheimer straps you to the hood and lets you hang on for dear life. His camera races alongside the cars at a low angle, capturing the power and thrill of the ride. The style is kinetic and clean, forgoing the camera-shaking that dominates too many recent cinematic action set-pieces. The second car chase (which barrels through the infamous Paris tunnel where Princess Diana was killed) is sure to rank alongside the tire-squealing sequences from The French Connection, Bullitt and To Live and Die in L.A. in the Movie Car Chase Hall of Fame.

As the plot uncoils into the third act, the characters' motivations still remain murky -- as does the answer to what's in that metal case. All the shadowy intrigue is fun, but it doesn't allow you to invest much interest in the outcome. Still, this is one mission you won't be sorry to accept.

Copyright 1998