“What’s in the case?”
This month marks the 20th anniversary of John
Frankenheimer’s RONIN.
A globe-trotting, espionage action-thriller in which a team
of former special operatives are recruited by a secret organization to recover
a mysterious case, RONIN was originally inspired by the novel Shogun. The novel by James Clavell was
read by screenwriter John David Zeik when he was 15, and it gave him background
on the ronin; a masterless samurai
who wanders the country side as a mercenary to regain purpose. Zeik moved the
concept from old Japan over to modern times, and gave the idea of a ronin to former special operatives
without a country.
In the mid-1990’s, the RONIN screenplay came across the desk
of director John Frankenheimer, who at the time had a reputation as the pioneer
of the modern-day political thriller. His strong credits included BIRDMAN OF
ALCATRAZ (1962), THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), GRAND PRIX (1966), FRENCH
CONNECTION II (1975, and BLACK SUNDAY (1977). Filming began in 1997 with an
equally strong cast which included Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone,
Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, Jonathan Pryce, and Michael Lonsdale. Locations
in France including Nice and Paris were used, providing some stunning visuals
as the team of operatives hunt down, chase, battle, and shift loyalties in
their mission.
Filmed years before CGI era took over visual effects, the
film’s extensive and breathtaking car-chase scenes were shot for real with the
actors in the vehicles…with Formula One driver Jean-Pierre Jarier at the wheel
hitting speeds over 100mph. Frankenheimer used the same camera-mounts he had in
GRAND PRIX. The film had a hyper-realistic aesthetic with no slow motion or
overpowering music, to make it look and feel “realer than real”.
RONIN was a moderate hit, and finished 1998 as the 11th
highest grossing R-rated film. Warmly received by critics, it was
Frankenheimer’s last film to earn positive reviews.
*
RONIN may not have won any Oscars or set box office records
on fire, but after 20 years it has not aged a day…and stands as a thrilling,
thinking-man’s picture. It’s a men-on-a-mission film, crossed with a heist
flick, and gets turned on its head with a few twists and turns…topped off with
a whopper of a twist near the end. Robert DeNiro is as good as he’s ever been,
and Frankenheimer’s eye for framing a shot and editing for tension is perfection.
When it comes to global espionage thrillers, this RONIN has no master.
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