Video Americain

Review

Three intense car chases highlight this thrilling action tale which manages to maintain interest even between all the well-staged automotive mayhem. With a style reminiscent of 1970s adventure films (blazing guns, tough talk, faster cars), Ronin is a thinking man's thriller about a group of hired mercenaries ("ronin") who come together to steal the suitcase and its highly secret contents of a mysterious attache. There's cross, double-cross, and enough high-speed chases through Paris, Nice and the countryside to populate five action films. Director Frankenheimer isn't merely content to let the chases speak for the film, and the relationships between his characters form the real core of Ronin. A bristling, unrelenting and smart roller-coaster ride.

 -- David Gorgos