Ronin

I'd never gotten around to actually watching this late-'90s DeNiro flick. He plays Sam, an ex-CIA agent who gets hired on as part of a crew to steal a mysterious silver case for an Irish woman named Deirdre (Natascha McElhone). Numerous double-crosses, broken promises and reversals of fortune abound.

The initial 40 minutes or so, where the crew prepares for and ultimately executes the heist are very well-done. Laying the basics of the characters, especially Sam, in his tendency to ask questions and worry about details. How he and Vincent (Jean Reno) start to become friends of a sort. The way you just tell something's going to happen with Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard) from the way the camera lingers on him, the way he seems to watch the others.

After that point, director John Frankenheimer likes to keep things moving. He'll pause occasionally for Sam or whoever to figure out their next move, or the next move of whoever they're trying to find at the moment. But it isn't long before there's another chase scene, whether on foot or in a car. Lots of car chases in this movie. The last one in particular, that runs all over Paris, goes on too long. Especially for how long they spend driving into oncoming traffic. Although we do get to see Deirdre gradually become more and more tense and stressed as she tries to avoid crashing. You can tell she's reaching her limit.

I notice it more in the early part of the film, but Frankenheimer is fond of these moving shots that give you the impression you're spying on whoever is in the frame. As though you're on a parallel course with them, and peering around corners or cover. Adds to that sense that something is going to happen they aren't expecting. It's the kind of movie where each time you think they have things sown up, something unexpected happens. 

Although the surprises are less someone you wouldn't expect showing up out of nowhere, more that characters don't behave as expected, and nobody gives up easy. Gregor in particular runs into that problem several times. The movie leverages the idea there are lots of interested parties to create chaos. Such as the scene at the old gladiatorial arena, where there seem to be two parties chasing Gregor and fighting each other, but there are actually three. Things are changing constantly. It's enjoyable, because there's a constant string of new problems to find solutions for, but also a little exhausting after awhile.

He also seems to like showing the characters' faces via a reflection. Vincent's sitting in a car and the camera is looking the same direction as him, but we can see him in the side mirror. Or Gregor has his back to us, but we see his face in a wall mirror off to the side. I guess because no one is being straight with each other, their intentions aren't genuine, so we see them in reverse or something like that. You can't seem them head on, you have to come at it from a less direct angle?

The title's a bit of a misnomer, since Sam is only pretending to be a free agent. But everyone seems to be masking their true intentions and goals. Working for people we never see or whose own goals are left unsaid. Except maybe for Vincent. We don't know his backstory, but he seems to be basically who he presents himself as.