YOUR ALLY COULD BECOME YOUR ENEMY.

A group of international pros, including American Sam (Robert De Niro), gather in Paris for a mission where they must obtain a case whose contents are unknown.

The last really good movie that John Frankenheimer made is primarily known for its car chases in Nice and Paris, through narrow alleys and along small, winding streets. They’re enough to raise your pulse, but there’s also a lot of tension built into the story and its many questions. What’s in the case? Who are these pros, and are they reliable?

Well-paced, with attractive French locations and an entertaining cast.

1998-U.S. 121 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by John Frankenheimer. Screenplay: J.D. Zeik, David Mamet. Music: Elia Cmiral. Cast: Robert De Niro (Sam), Jean Reno (Vincent), Natascha McElhone (Deirdre), Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Lonsdale. 

Trivia: Mamet appears under the pseudonym Richard Weisz.

Last word: “I came home after being away for the weekend, and there was this script, Ronin, that my agent had sent me. He said ‘Look, they really loved meeting with you, and the fact that you lived in France and speak French, they think you’d be perfect for this movie.’ So I read it and I was very ambivalent about wanting to do it, because I was very passionate about [another project]. But I really liked Frank Mancuso Jr. He’s the best producer I’ve ever worked with, along with Fred Coe, and that’s crucial. You’ve got to get along with management, or you can be sunk. So I thought about it, and I’d always wanted to shoot a picture like this. I got a brilliant cameraman, Robert Fraisse, most of my crew I had worked with on French Connection II…then we were lucky enough to get DeNiro. After that, the rest of the cast just fell into place.” (Frankenheimer, The Hollywood Interview)