Ronin Review
Any directorial career that includes both Seconds (1966) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) features more ups and downs than most, and with Ronin, John_Frankenheimer announced a comeback. Exploring the territory of international espionage, it compensates for the familiarity of its material by doing just about everything right. A gripping, deliberately paced opening sequence perfectly sets the mood, capturing the uneasy peace of post-Cold War Europe with creepy effectiveness. The rest of the film runs with the notion, developing its vivid, weary characters and terse dialogue between well-staged action sequences. Frankenheimer films car chases as if he'd just invented the concept and David_Mamet's pseudonymous script blows his gift for portraying con artistry up to an international scale. A memorable, thoughtful thriller cast to perfection and shot through with the chill of political unease and the knowledge of how easy it is to bargain away one's soul, it provided a late-career peak for a director who had something to prove. Keith Phipps, Rovi
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