| | | Loyalty is bought, betrayal is a way of life.
Features: Collector's Edition, DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, Subtitled, French, Spanish, Dubbed & Subtitled
In a world where loyalties are easily abandoned and allegiances can be bought, a new and deadlier terrorist threat has emerged, free agent killers! The Cold War may be over, but a new world order keeps a group of covert mercenaries employed by the highest bidder. These operatives, known as Ronin, are assembled in France by a mysterious client for a seemingly routine mission: steal a top-secret briefcase. But the simple task soon proves explosive as other underworld organizations vie for the same prize...and to get the job done, the members of Ronin must do something they've never done before--trust each other!
"...high-octane action..." Gene Shalit, Today
"...first-rate cast..." L.A. Daily News
"...the real deal in action fireworks..." Rolling Stone
"A top-notch thriller!" The New York Times
Editor's Note
David Mamet wrote this screenplay under the name Richard Weisz, as a gun for hire, much like the masterless samurai of the film's title, who roamed Japan in the 19th Century, loyal only to themselves. A group of men with highly developed skills are called to a meeting in a deserted warehouse in Paris. Sam (Robert De Niro), an American, may be ex-CIA. Vincent (Jean Reno), the terminally cool Frenchman, is a mystery. Russian computer whiz Gregor (Stellan Skarsgaard) is presumably ex-KGB, and Spence (Sean Bean), a British demolitions man, and Larry (Skipp Suddith), another Yank, round out the team. They've been hired by the IRA, through liaison Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), to steal a briefcase of unknown contents somewhere in Europe. As the unit races from one spectacular location on the French Riviera to another, the body count mounts, some Russian gangsters get into the act, and the betrayals come fast and furious. In a rare comic moment, Sam stitches up his own bullet wound, and asks a friend to finish before he passes out. RONIN features an exceptional cast, sumptuous locations, and the kind of realistic car chases and action scenes that one expects from a director of John Frankenheimer's skills.
| Features | 5 Featurettes: In The Cutting Room With Tony Gibbs, Composing The "Ronin" Score, Natascha McElhone: An Actor's Process, The Driving Of "Ronin" & Through The Lens | | Alternate Ending | | Animated Photo Gallery Video Montage: Venice Interviews | | Audio Commentary Featuring Director John Frankenheimer | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: Spanish Dolby Digital Surround Sound | | Documentary: "Ronin: Filming In The Fast Lane" | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 5/12/2009 |
| Running Time: 121 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1998 | | Catalog ID: 14481 | | UPC: 00027616144812 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
MTV Award (1999) | | | Robert De Niro, Natascha McElhone, Nominee, Best Action Sequence |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...RONIN represents an exhilarating return to form for Frankenheimer....The real deal in action fireworks..." 10/15/1998 p.133-4Entertainment Weekly
"...Bracing sequences....A welcome throwback....[De Niro] makes most recent action-movie figures look like callow jocks..." -- Rating: B 03/05/1999 p.70 USA Today
"...This throwback to director John Frankenheimer's vintage international thrillers has an attractively old-fashioned feel..." 10/23/1998 p.6E New York Times
"...An extraordinary cast of actors, all on the same formidable wavelength, match wits most impressively....Mr. De Niro shows off a brooding, hard-guy panache with its own brand of international appeal..." 09/25/1998 p.E15 Uncut
"[R]uthlessly constructed, hugely entertaining..." 11/01/2004 p.157 ReelViews 9 of 10
Unlike many thrillers of this sort, which devolve into a series of mindless action sequences, Ronin manages to remain focused on the plot and the characters, even while staging increasingly complicated pyrotechnic set pieces and offering its share of white-knuckle moments. The film is consistently exciting, if a little overlong, and never fails to keep us guessing. Ronin also snubs a few conventions of the genre. For example, when a character departs before the midpoint, he does not suddenly re-appear later in the movie to either (a) cause trouble, (b) take revenge, or (c) save the day. That's certainly not the only reason to see this picture, but it's one of several small pleasures that, when they're all combined, make Ronin a significant cut above the average thriller. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
I enjoyed the film on two levels: for its skill and its silliness. The actors are without exception convincing in their roles, and the action makes little sense. Consider the Stellan Skarsgard character, who is always popping out his laptop computer and following the progress of chase scenes with maps and what I guess are satellite photos. Why does he do this? To affirm to himself that elsewhere something is indeed happening, I think. - Roger Ebert
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