Submitted by LoneWolfInCyberia t3_z6n7ep in movies
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Ronin in feudal Japan, referred to those samurai, who had either lost their master in battle or whose master had fallen into financial ruin or who had no longer the trust of their master. Quite often lonely drifters, they led a nomadic life.
The 1998 movie starring Robert De Niro, deals with such a group, most of them former intelligence agents, operatives who had been rendered jobless after the end of the Cold War.
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So you have Sam(Robert De Niro) an ex CIA operative, Spence(Sean Bean) a weapons expert, Gregor( Stellan Skarsgard) a former KGB computer expert, Vincent(Jean Reno) an expert at procuring and Larry( Skip Sudduth), an expert driver. The group is bought together by a mysterious woman Deirdre( Natasha McEllhone) an IRA Agent, along with her contact **Seamus(Jonathan Pyrce).**Their mission is to retrieve a mysterious briefcase, that even the Russians are vying for, setting off a deadly cat and mouse game that begins in Paris, and goes all over Europe.
Ronin is one of these good ole fashioned action thrillers, that has it all- shootout scenes, car chases, double crossing, intrigue. The kind of action thriller, where you really are not sure who is who, as the group members keep getting outed one by one. You have people double crossing , only to be double crossed themselves. None of the characters are really heroic in the conventional sense, every one is out to get their share of the pie, and would do anything for it.
And the movie has some of the best car chases ever, would rather say 4 great ones, the first one is brilliantly shot, my favorite would be when Sam chases Deirdre through the streets of Paris, absolutely dizzying, especially the bit where they race through the tunnel at break neck speed.
Also the use of the suitcase here as a McGuffin, the entire movie revolves around it, but you really never know what it actually contains.
Robert De Niro getting away from his usual intense roles, is as great as ever in a totally action packed role. It helps that the movie has a solid supporting cast, whom you could always depend on, Sean Bean, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgard, while Jonathan Pryce. makes for an intriguing Seamus.
And Natasha McEllhone makes a smoking hot, gorgeous femme fatale, her icy blonde looks just adding up to it.
If you are looking for some good, ole fashioned action, with thrills, twists and turns, this is the movie to chill out with.
Bloody-George t1_iy2c3k3 wrote
I remember Ronin was the first film I saw Sean Bean in. Excellent performance. I'll never forget the scene in which the team is planning an ambush and his character suggests placing people on either side of a street for an ambush on a passing car, and De Niro's character points out the obvious problem of friendly fire in the plan hahahaha The build-up, the tense silence, the metal cup on the small table. Everything in that scene was great.