Short Attention Span Review - Ronin (1998)

Often overlooked, Ronin is a polished thriller that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat from start to finish.  It's an excellent picture starring Robert DeNiro in his prime and featuring Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, and Jonathan Pryce.  Everyone involved does their best to keep up with DeNiro, and there isn't a bad performance in the picture.  Even director John Frankenheimer (who had pretty much been written off at this point) does an exquisite job, balancing the tension and intrigue with sensational chases and shootouts.  Every time you think that Ronin has peaked, it manages to raise the stakes with a bigger and bolder showdown.  It was a hit with critics and it made money, but it seldom comes up when people talk about really good movies.  I think that this slick heist flick is exceptional, and I absolutely love the performances.  There's a scene early on where DeNiro "ambushes" Sean Bean with coffee that is 100% awesome, and Frankenheimer really nailed it with all the gunfire and vehicular mayhem.  The action bits are well-staged, exciting, and integral to the plot--such as it is.  While there is a bit more dialogue and a quality MacGuffin (a mysterious case that everyone is after), Ronin isn't all that different from something like Mad Max: Fury Road in that the story essentially exists so that a number of riveting action scenes can be strung together.  That's okay, it's all a matter of execution, and Frankenheimer did a fine job at the helm.  Ronin is a top-shelf thriller with Robert DeNiro front and center.  That could never be a bad thing, and in this case, it's a great thing.

Final Grade: A

Ronin is a fine picture with an equal blend of action and suspense.  This is DeNiro
at his best and it's possible that the same could be said of director John Frankenheimer.

Short Attention Span Review - Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Believe the hype.  The latest film from the incredibly talented George Miller is an action movie unlike any other.  I was expecting big things from the newest Mad Max adventure, and I wasn't at all disappointed by this grand and chaotic film.  The picture is essentially one big chase and the delirious action that it delivers from start to finish is unlike anything you've ever seen before.  Moving at a breakneck pace and populated with wild characters and their twisted vehicles, the experience is a bit exhausting, but it is also 100% entertaining.  The score is ripe, the carnage is downright intoxicating, and I don't know what more we could possibly expect from a movie called Fury Road.  I was really keen on all the girl power that Miller inserted into the mix and the cinema goddess known as Charlize Theron totally killed it as Furiosa.  This movie belonged to her as much as it belonged to Tom Hardy as Max, and if she didn't outshine him, . . . well, we'll have to call it a draw.  Both were incredible and badass and as much as Miller's robust imagination is to thank for this maniacal blockbuster, it may well have faltered without the benefit of such an impeccable cast.  Nicholas Hoult was astounding, totally losing himself in the part of Nux, and it was great to see Hugh Keays-Byrne (he played the villainous Toecutter in the original Mad Max way back in 1979) as the heavy, a colorful and imposing lunatic called Immortan Joe.  While it may be a bit simplistic in terms of plot, Mad Max: Fury Road is as invigorating and bold as any movie that we've ever been blessed with.  If you're looking for a killer movie to blow your mind as the summer draws to a close, you need to take to take a spin with Mad Max and Furiosa.  Oh, and be sure to buckle up--it's going to be one hell of a ride.

Final Grade: A

Let's put it like this: if one were to refer to Mad Max: Fury Road as gleefully
over-the-top and excessively violent, that would definitely be an understatement.