A freelancing former U.S. Intelligence Agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by the Irish and the Russians. Ronin has Robert De Niro at his best and is a throwback to the early and late 1980's and 1990's action movies that we loved. The action was amazing with some terrific car chases, foot chases and lots of shooting, explosions and great perfomances from it's talented cast. The movie also has some insane twists that go back and forth as of why is this package so important and who really wants it the most. I think that Ronin is one of De Niro's most underrated works from the late 1990's and one that will please fans of the action genre alot in the end. (10/10) (A+)

A freelancing former U.S. intelligence agent (Robert DeNiro) tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by both the Irish and the Russians.The script was written by David Mamet (under the pseudonym Richard Weisz) from a screenplay by first-time writer John David Zeik. Director John Frankenheimer later said, "The credits should read: 'Story by J.D. Zeik, screenplay by David Mamet'. We didn't shoot a line of Zeik's script." Although probably not intentional, fans of Quentin Tarantino might see some parallels with both "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". More likely these are just common heist tropes, however. Zeik was not just a one-off, however. He went on to work on the "Witchblade" film and television series, among other things.Some of the best parts of "Ronin" are the long, elaborate car chases. Scenes involving cars have been a specialty of Frankenheimer, a former amateur racing driver, ever since "Grand Prix" (1966). Although action sequences are often shot by a second unit director, Frankenheimer did all these himself and sometimes even rode along. While he was aware of the many innovations in digital special effects since the 1960s, he elected to film all these sequences live, to obtain the maximum level of authenticity. To further this, many of the high-speed shots even have the actual actors in the cars.Much of the cinematography is quite technical, with special shutter speeds and film stock that goes over this layman's head. What would be most noticeable to the audience, however, is the use of muted colors. The dreary effect is quite intentional, and even the extras were banned from wearing anything bright or distinct. This is a brownish-grayish world of blurred morality, both overtly and subliminally. While the star of the show is obviously Robert DeNiro, the cast is strong all around. Jean Reno is incredible and probably even overshadows his co-star. Sean Bean has limited screen time, but plays up the cocky angle, leaving us to dislike him almost immediately. Stellan Skarsgård is as strong as Reno, blending seamlessly into his role. This ensemble cast is rounded out by Natascha McElhone, who does a fine job as the leader of the crew. She is hampered a bit by a slight romantic angle the writers threw in, but still comes off strong.Reviews at the time of release were generally positive. Roger Ebert noted, "The movie is not really about anything; if it were, it might have really amounted to something, since it comes pretty close anyway." He is on the right track. The film is, indeed, excellent despite not really being about anything. It might have been improved by better establishing who the different factions were or what objectives everyone was trying to reach... but that would defeat the whole purpose in the process.Coming out in August 2017 with a new 4K scan, this is an unusual choice for an Arrow Video release. Such a film obviously deserves a good Blu-ray, so in no way am I implying that Arrow should have passed on the film. It is just interesting that a company who specializes in cult horror, obscure Japanese gangster films and other lesser-known titles would pick up something so mainstream with big name actors and a relatively recent release date. There must have been an interesting discussion in the office that day.The previous two-disc special edition DVD was already packed with interviews, commentary and more, and all of these are ported over. At the risk of creating an embarrassment of riches, Arrow not only has all these (hours of bonus material!) and the 4K scan, but an in-depth 30-minute interview with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Robert Fraisse, which is a priceless addition.

From 1998, Ronin is directed by John Frankenheimer and stars Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, and Sean Bean.The title is taken from the Japanese; it describes Samurai without a master. These Ronin are specialists and mercenaries, from Special Forces or Intelligence units hired by Dierdre (McElhone) on behalf of her boss Seamus (Price). Their job is to obtain a suitcase from someone who is about to sell it to the Russians. It seems obvious that Dierdre is an IRA member. The men are nearly successful, but one of their own switches the real suitcase for a useless one and steals it for himself, intending to sell it to the Russians. The chase is on.Wonderful action movie with fantastic performances all around, but especially from DeNiro and Reno. The scenery from all over France and the camera angles used are wonderful. One of the towns filmed in is shown in such detail, you feel like you're there. The car chases are killers, done in Alpes-Maritime.For figure skating lovers, there are skating sequences by Katarina Witt, who won won two Olympic Gold Medals for East Germany, first in the 1984 and 1988, and was world champion 1984-88. This was filmed ten years later, and she was still in phenomenal shape. Highly recommended.

...........................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA...and ORLANDO, FL "An Anti-Action, anti-formula movie" was my initial choice for a tag line for this review...but I wanted something more enticing! If you've gotten this far, you're probably looking for a little clarification. Here it is: It is indeed rare to encounter a truly original element in any movie. Much rarer still, is to have such originality overlooked completely by the viewing public. When this occurs, it really upsets me. RONIN offers us just such an unheralded moment of cinematic history! Initially curious to see what percent of reviewers had commented on the totally unique and unprecedented selection of a female driver, in what is, undoubtedly,the most REALISTIC cinema chase sequence of the past 20 years, systematically, I began scouring the reviews. What I discovered has not ceased to amaze me! I would like to share the results with you, and let you measure your own reaction.Out of the 212 reviews that were posted at the time, I carefully went over 70 of them! Only ONE reviewer used a name clearly belonging to woman. Unfortunately, she restricted herself to only 15 or 20 words, so she really didn't end up saying much of anything! (Of course, there were perhaps 7 or 8 anonymous reviews.) Of the 70 reviews, 50, or more, made reference to the chase scene. (Between 80 and 90 percent of those comments were basically positive.) Although Robert De Niro and Jean Reno were the only two actors in the film who definitely had more on-screen time than Natascha McElhone, (Dierdre, the chase car driver from HELL!) around 20 reviewers commented on other actors, whose on-screen time wasn't half that of hers. Only 6 or 7 chose to mention her at all! Probably, more reviewers sited Katarina Witt's 3 or 4 minute cameo spot! (Of course, she was much more scantily clad than Ms. McElhone!) Finally, out of 50, or so, who did talk about the chase scenes, ONLY ONE linked McElhone to them directly! Amazingly, paraphrasing here the reviewer's words, "The car chase scenes are very authentic. (Except that Natascha McElhone looks like she has never driven fast in her life!)" Well, all I can say is, after having screened the scene at least a dozen times, it seems to me that this reviewer was watching a different RONIN! Some might argue that THELMA & LOUISE had car chases. These were all together different, because the movie revolved entirely around its title characters. In RONIN, nobody seems to make a big deal out of the fact, and it is actually Dierdre's boss who pointedly barks at her, "YOU DRIVE!" Is there a lesson to be learned here? Apparently, all this tends to bear out the title of this review..."Clothed women in Action films are invisible to male viewers!"Sad, because RONIN has a lot more to offer than just the chase scenes. It pays yet another subtle tribute to the prowess of women, when an ex-East German operative (Stellan Skarsgaerd) says, "I've hired the very best sniper assassin...SHE never misses!" More than anything else, RONIN provides an utterly believable inside- track on the post-Cold War mercenary and the shadowy, detached world he inhabits, reminiscent of the insider's glimpse of real-world spies offered in the classic, The SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. If it's John Woo style Action films that make your day...You'll probably find RONIN much too realistic, too cerebral, too noir and too explosion-less for your tastes! On the other hand, if you like your Action movies well grounded in reality, RONIN is a near classic, anti-action, anti-formula film, with a most refreshing European aftertaste, that you will find quite engrossing and enjoyable! 9 STARS.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!