A Reel 25: RUSHMORE and RONIN

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of two of the best films to come out of the 1990’s: Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE and John Frankenheimer’s RONIN. 

 

Premiering first was RONIN. Helmed by acclaimed director John Frankenheimer, who had directed classics such as BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962), and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), RONIN followed a team of special operatives hired to steal a heavily guarded briefcase leading to a web of international espionage. 

 

The idea for RONIN came from writer John David Zeik, who was inspired by the novel Shogun. The novel gave him background on the ronin, masterless samurai who roam looking for purpose. The theme was incorporated into disavowed CIA and international government operatives, all in the game for the mysterious case. 

 

With a modest budget and a shooting schedule of 78 days, RONIN was filmed across locations in Nice and Paris. The cast would include Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, and Stellan Skarsgard in one of his first major roles. The film would be noted for its action, with two multiple car-chases a highlight. RONIN would earn good reviews, and finish as 1998’s 11^th-highest grossing R-rated film. 

Later in the month, Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE would have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Only the second film from Anderson and creative partner Owen Wilson, RUSHMORE followed a 15-year-old boy who has a mad-crush on one of his teachers, leading him to trouble at school. 

 

Written by Anderson and Wilson, RUSHMORE was conceived before Anderson’s first feature film, BOTTLE ROCKET from 1996. The idea was inspired by Wilson’s own expulsion from his prep school. Anderson also took inspiration from Charles Schultz’s famed Peanuts comic strip, with the main character in RUSHMORE similar to lovable loser Charlie Brown. 

 

The cast would include Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Connie Nielsen, and Luke Wilson. Much of the cast would become frequent collaborators with Anderson over the years. Filming began in Houston in the Fall of 1997. 

 

RUSHMORE would open at several prestige festivals and draw acclaim. It would win two Independent Spirit Awards: Best Director for Anderson and Best Supporting Actor for Murray. Murray was also nominated for a Golden Globe. In 2016, it was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. 

 

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RONIN and RUSHMORE are two films that could not be more different. The former is an espionage thriller, while the latter is a quirky comedy…yet both over time have become respected and beloved in their own ways. RONIN stands as one of the last great action films before the CGI age took over, while RUSHMORE laid down the groundwork for the style that Anderson would embrace for the rest of his career. These are two excellent films that have lasted the test of time, and feel right at home when viewing in the cooler month of September.