'Ronin' (1998) - John Frankenheimer.

Arguably one of the 90s finest action thrillers finds an iconic director in dazzling full command of his not inconsiderable filmmaking talents. Maestro John Frankenheimer constructs a consistently fascinating, heroically hard-boiled, exquisitely tooled example of a European flavoured, breathlessly exciting, tightly-plotted thriller. Blessed with a top-notch cast, including a commanding turn from Robert De Niro, and featuring one of the most thrillingly kinetic, deliciously daredevil, palm-sweatingly intense, Michelin-melting car chases since 'Vanishing Point'!

After a dramatically doomy, rain-soaked opening, this edgy, disparate crew of mercenary specialists are given some altogether sketchy details about the metal suitcase they are tasked to steal. Their meticulous planning unravels all too inevitably since one or more of their number might have an alternative agenda to their collective plan!!! The violent conflict to purloin this mysterious item rapidly escalates towards a barnstorming finale of despicable double-dealing and noisome gun-fights. Brightly contrasted against the uniquely picturesque, sun-hazed backdrop of the spectacular French Riviera and a full-throttle, pedal-to-the-metal vehicular ballet that is robustly staged with nerve-shredding precision by Frankenheimer and his equally exacting crew. The text is no less compelling, elevated by some exemplary performances from Michael Lonsdale, Stellan Skarsgaard, and Natasha McElhorne. There's a wonderful natural chemistry between the wire-taut C.I.A. field operative Sam (Robert De Niro) and taciturn, no less capable associate Vincent (Jean Reno), with a menacing Jonathan Price proving especially repellent as the murderous, self-serving terrorist Seamus.

Ronin's blunt, minimalistic style is not so much timeless as perhaps from another time, now finally enjoying the deservedly classic status of William Friedkin's 'To Live and Die in L.A.' or immaculate Gallic crime masterpieces like 'Le Cercle Rouge' and Claude Sautet's 'Classe tous Risques'. Nothing ever feels cinematically gratuitous, these are the forceful actions of desperate men and women, reflexive, pragmatic uses of force, rather than hysteric cartoonish overkill. While the rich text is occasionally droll, it's never glib. Granted, the Stoic Sam frequently expresses a witheringly blackened sense of humour, but this is a deadly serious man in an increasingly precarious, highly volatile situation and his modus operandi is never that of a bullet-proof superhero, but a real, flesh and blood field agent. Far from invulnerable, yet his extreme caution, implacable logic, hard-earned experience and rigorous training giving him a steely combative edge. A rare talent, shared by celluloid craftsman Frankenheimer, constructing his exemplary, Titanium tough crime feature with equal precision. 'Ronin' remains a sublimely rare artefact, a genuinely adult action thriller, not over-burnished franchise fodder, but a stand-alone, bullet-casing sleek genre classic!

'This is one masterful Ronin that is destined to never roam alone!'