10 Most Pointless CGI Movie Shots Ever
3. Digital Tyre Smoke - Ronin
John Frankenheimer's Ronin is a ludicrously entertaining action-thriller that boasts some of the most impressive car chases ever put to film, and Frankenheimer himself even boasted that the chases were all achieved in-camera, "not in green screens, not with computer tricks."
That's ultimately about 99.7% true, because while cars really were filmed hurtling through the streets of France, the legendary filmmaker peculiarly decided to inject some wildly unnecessary CGI into a Paris chase sequence.
As Sam (Robert De Niro) and Vincent (Jean Reno) burn rubber while making their escape, a ton of repulsive CGI smoke is layered over the top of the vehicle, intended to be imply an extremely severe tire burnout.
Unfortunately it looks laughably ugly and slightly undermines a sequence that's otherwise an epic triumph of technical filmmaking.
Frankenheimer probably should've asked himself what was more distracting - a car screeching away with minimal smoke, or a naff digital fog enveloping the screen?