What so great about RONIN?

I thought I'd tackle one of the better spy flicks out there, and in recent years, there's not been one I enjoyed more than Ronin.

Let's talk cast: De Niro, Sean Bean, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce--do I even need to mention anyone else? It's got a great hook--the mysterious silver case--plus two (TWO!) of the best car-chases ever filmed, including the absolute best car chase ever filmed.

It's atmospheric, mysterious, filled with great dialogue ("Have you ever killed anyone?"--"I hurt someone's feelings once," "I'm a weapons-man--they tend to settle the argument") and sounds (horns, screeches, ricochets--the sound design is terrific) and a non-stop plot that is not, for once, filled with holes. And there are great quiet moments, like Michel Lonsdale's telling De Niro of the story of the "orphaned" Samurai ("Ronin") who committed ritual seppuku to die with honor. The foreign (French) locations are provocatively used, and the photography, music, and sets are top-notch.

And that car chase! No CGI here, folks. Real cars, real crashes, real excitement, and even a little humor make for about the most exciting seven minutes ever filmed. Director John Frankenheimer made the sixties film Grand Prix, so he knows about cars and drivers--and it shows. I don't want to spoil the chase for people, but there are little clever bits here and there that leave one's mouth agape. In the age of the computer, we'll never see its like again.

I never understood why this film wasn't a huge hit, or why it's usually assigned only 2 or 3 stars for a rating in reviews. For my money, it's the best spy film of the last twenty years; possibly the best since The Day of the Jackal. And that's saying something.