It always surprises me when I run into people who haven’t seen films that I’ve naturally assumed that everyone have already seen. The sort of standard issue movies that people should have watched if they are going to enjoy the cinema. Not necessarily the Citizen Kane‘s of cinema but films that are really good. Case in point the 1998 film Ronin.
Ronin was director John Frankenheimer last great film that he made before he died. Yes he made a couple after but they are average at best. Robert De Niro stars as an ex-CIA agent who is hired by Natascha McElhone along with Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean and Skipp Sudduth to steal a package. The group quickly plans the heist but as soon mission goes down, there’s a double cross. Then a triple cross.
The film is most notably for the car chase near the end of the film. Frankenheimer didn’t believe in CGI so he shot the car chase as authentic as possible. Apparently there was up to 800 stunt drivers employed and 80 cars were wrecked. To keep things authentic the actors sat in the cars with fake steering wheels while the stunt driver drove the car in the passenger seat.
But the film is more than a film that has a great car chase scene. It’s a great spy / crime thriller featuring professional mercenaries doing what they do best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQDC4sFpENQ
