Action and Intrigue
Ronin is a Different Kind of Thriller

While James Bond may always remain the best known spy in the movie business, the suave and debonair Bond seems to slip from one exotic locale to another, always one step ahead of men who shoot, explode, and destroy without regard for human life. In the new action thriller, Ronin, Robert De Niro plays a mercenary for hire, and the difference between him and the bad guys is almost negligible.

Set entirely in France, Ronin follows a band of mercenaries hired by an Irish "femme fatale" named Diedre (Natascha McElhone) to steal a mysterious case from an unknown element. The mission is shrouded in secrecy, but so are the men hired to execute it. The assembled crew includes an American named Sam (De Niro), a French "tour guide" named Vincent (Jean Reno), and a German ex-KGB agent named Gregor (Stellan Skarsgård).

Initially, the story plays off the mistrust of the different mercenaries, but never panders to the "buddy movie" mentality of most American films. The mistrust does not unify the men into a crack team. It divides them. And after they are betrayed by one of their own, the remaining members become more divided in their search for him.

This is a film with several layers of intrigue, as one double-cross after another slowly peels away each member of the mercenary team. Not much more can be said without giving away the story. The secret agendas and sympathies that each person holds continue to bring the characters into conflict until it all becomes resolved (sort of) in the twisted ending.

While much of the film is nothing but gratuitous car chases on the streets of Nice and Paris, the overall tone of the film is somber if not realistic. People get shot. People die. Innocent bystanders are gunned down with apparent disregard. The people involved in the plot to steal the case are no better than the men from whom they wish to take it. The brutality of their actions is often sickening.

To its credit, Ronin doesn't seek to make the audience feel good about the characters, their motivations, or their actions. In fact, De Niro is as much a villain as the people he kills. In addition, a traditional Hollywood happy ending never develops, leaving the audience with a more bleak, more European ending centered -- appropriately -- on the Frenchman.

One additional note, if the Russian figure skater looks familiar, there's good reason. The part of Natacha Kirilova is played by world-renowned figure skater Katarina Witt.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 121 min.