Ronin (1998), directed by John Frankenheimer, is a thrilling action film that follows mercenaries in their attempts to track down a dangerous package. The contents are unknown, making the recovery of the package all that more urgent. There is a mad dash between forces to capture it as cars race through Paris and other parts of France. The film is stacked with talented actors from Robert De Niro to Sean Bean, all who seemingly know how to handle their automobiles.
The chase scenes in the film are intense and lengthy. Most recently, car chases I see in films leave me feeling a bit empty, because I always wish they had lasted longer. With Ronin, however, that isn’t the case. There are so many car chases you won’t know what to do with yourself. The ’76 Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9, burns rubber consistently throughout the length of the movie. Deniro even shoots a rocket launcher from the sunroof of this particular Mercedes while they are in pursuit Citroën on a two-lane highway. Also prominently featured in the film is a ’91 BMW 535i, which makes for some crazy action sequences. The 1998 Audi S8 is also a pretty great addition to the lineup, as its big body and huge engine are put to the test.
I would primarily recommend Ronin for its great cinematographic angles. The cameras seem to reach all aspects of the car while its in motion. The audience isn’t left out on any of the action during the multitude of chases that take place. It almost puts the viewer in the drivers seat, making this one of the greatest car chase films of all time. If you’ve just taken a fast-paced canyon drive, and feel your wife made you come home too early because dinner was set, pop in Ronin late at night to continue the thrill.
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Image Sources: imdb.com, influx.co.uk, absolutefiction.com, impawards.com, iceposter.com
