Ronin (1998)

Director: John Frankenheimer

Notable Cast: Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean, Skipp Sudduth, Michael Lonsdale, Jan Triska, Jonathan Pryce

Director John Frankenheimer had a long and quite fascinating career. While he was mostly known for his work the 60s and 70s (with credits like The Manchurian Candidate and Birdman of Alcatraz under his belt) he would have a variety of hits and flops throughout his lengthy filmography that makes it one of the more interesting careers to follow. One of the gems of his career though is the 1998 throwback espionage action thriller Ronin, featuring a substantial cast anchored by Robert DeNiro. While it’s somewhat of a surprise that Arrow Video chose this film for release in their catalog because of its ‘newer’ release date, it shouldn’t be a surprise when one sees the film and the quality of its execution to understand why it’s become a well-loved cult classic. Not only is Ronin a phenomenal flick, but it’s one that truly does harken back to a 70s style of action film making where the tone and the subtle feel of the film highlights its strengths. Sure, it might have looked even better when it comes after the strange misfire that was The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1996, but the film has remarkably held up after nearly 20 years and it deserves the following it has garnered.

Stormy Monday (1988)

Director: Mike Figgis

Notable Cast: Sean Bean, Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones, Sting

In the idea of being perfectly frank, Stormy Monday was a film that never crossed my consciousness until Arrow Video announced that they were bringing it to Blu Ray a few months ago. Considering the stacked cast, it did come as a surprise that the film seemed to be truly a cult item. However, it was concerning. A film with this kind of cast from a well-received director (and featuring cinematography of Roger Deakins) should have some notoriety going for it in cinephile circles, but perhaps it was just one that fleeted away from me somehow. After watching Stormy Monday though, it’s kind of understandable why this seems to be a forgotten piece of film. For what its worth, it’s a decently confident debut for director Mike Figgis, but it’s also a film so rooted in being a neo noir and subtle in its building of characters and plot that it comes off as too slow for its own good. On the back of the box it’s referred to as a ‘romantic crime thriller’ but the romance, thrills, and crimes all seem pretty safe in comparison to many of the other modern noir thrillers that have come and gone. It’s a good film, but hardly one to capture the heart.