Rating: 
Summary: An action masterpiece in every way
Review: In these days of such overdone action movies like M:I-2, XXX, World is Not Enough, and Fast and the Furious, it's so refreshing to see an action movie that doesn't need CGI or overblown explosions every 5 seconds to make it exciting.
DeNiro, in his last great role, plays Sam, a mysterious ex-CIA agent (or so he says) who joins a group of mysterious international gunslingers to retrieve an equally mysterious briefcase for a mysterious boss. Supported by an excellent supporting cast including Jean Reno and Sean Bean, these five mercenaries, or Ronin, literally wage a small war across southern France. It's almost like an all-action interpretation of Reservoir Dogs- they are comlete strangers, they don't know who they're working for, and they are motivated only by money.
Along the way, there are twists and turns but unlike most movies, these twists are here for a reason. They make sense and actually aid the story instead of bog it down.
So we have shady characters, none of whom are real nice angels, a great plot, and a brilliant set-up. What about the action? Well if you want to experience the most realistic shoot outs and car chases ever on film, then you'll be in heaven. From the firefight/getaway under the bridge to the spectacular ambush in the city of Nice to the final harrowing car chase throughout Paris, every shot fired creates a hole in something, and every character actually aims to put down his opponent. Amazingly, though these scenes are incredibly realistic, they are never boring.
Few action movies can qualify as brilliant, but Frankenheimer's Ronin surely does. It's like no other action movie you've ever seen, and if Michael Bay and John Woo keep making movies, you probably never will for a long time. Do yourself a favor and see this movie- it's intelligent and intense.
It's unforunate that Frankenheimer died recently, because if there's one movie that deserves a sequel, this is it; I'd love to see what happens to the survivors of this film. Odds are that this will never happen.
Rating:
Summary: Exception high-quality DVD and Sound
Review: *
This DVD is an extremely high-quality product. My personal ratings would be Picture = 4.5 and Sound = 5.0. There is a bit of grain and some tiny "flecks" but overall the picture is very, very clean.Photography is fantastic especially during the car chase scenes. Despite all the action, most of the shots are smooth and I cannot figure out how the filmmakers did that. Music and sound is the real gem here and surround-sound is used effectively. The soundtrack is impressive as the music seems to be based on drumming and interesting drum patterns. There are plenty of low frequencies used and some action punctuations that will test your woofer for sure. Classical music standards are also used at times (for background) and sound wonderful. I enjoy this movie more each time I observe and listen to it. Highly recommended.
*
Rating: 
Summary: All Spies Must Come In From the Cold
Review: When the cold war ended, not only the Soviet Union went out of business. Cadres of intelligence agents on both sides must have found themselves with time aplenty on their hands. In RONIN, director John Frankenheimer weaves a multi-standed tale of a group of for-hire ex-professionals who want to earn a living using their unique skills. Robert DeNiro plays Sam, an ex-CIA man who links up with a group of similarly unemployed spies who are hired by the IRA to retrieve a mysterious suitcase from the Russian/French mob alliance. Sam strikes up an unlikely relation with Vincent (Jean Reno) and part of the film turns into a buddy road movie with each taking turns saving the life of the other.
Rating: 
Summary: Something is wrong!
Review: This movie had all the elements of success: nice story, great drive chase, good acting and elite actors... but still all together doesn't fit. I still can't figure out why. But maybe (I said maybe) this type of movie belongs to a younger generation of actors... I know it's a good movie but there's something that affected it that I couldn't figure out what it is.
Rating: 
Summary: The driving is good.
Review: This is one of the most tedious movies I have ever seen. I am amazed that other reviewers are discussing plot (was there a plot?) and I am equally amazed that Robert De Niro couldn't find something better to do. It must have paid well. The center of the story is a mysterious brief case... It does afford an excuse for a couple splendid car chases in splendid European cars that you won't see on the streets of the U.S., the only reason I gave it even one star. Oh, and there is the usual beautiful 20-something girl who... So we get conflicting and, the director probably hopes, self-cancelling sexist/feminist versions of the usual Hollywood cliches. If you are a serious German car nut, rent the DVD and skip to the car chases, otherwise I wouldn't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: Guy Film
Review: Tense male bonding picture with chick sub-plot. DVD is okay, but could have had some more extras. Film itself is a sharp transfer and the commentary by John Frankenheimer is pretty good. The ease at which DeNiro slips between speaking French and English makes the film believeable. A top notch film with a solid cast. May be too intense for some, but still a take no prisoners movie. Chase scene through Paris is a bit reminiscent of the one in To Live and Die in LA but still well done...unless the Princess Diana parallels bother you. Put this on, pop open a cool one sit back for a wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF MY WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN MOVIES
Review: I BOUGHT THIS MOVIE BECAUSE ROBERT DeNIRO STARS IN IT. WHAT I ENJOYED MOST WAS THE EUROPEAN CULTURE THAT EASILY SHOWS IN THE MOVIE. I DO MISS PARIS AND ROME WHENEVER I WATCH THIS MOVIE. I WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE MOVIE BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT, I WANT IT ALL TO BE A SURPRISE TO YOU.
Rating:
Summary: Get the Case!
Review: Robert DeNiro plays a post-Cold War intelligence operative now available on the open market for various characters of shady backgrounds and motives. The job at hand involves getting a briefcase from one group of unknowns for the group of relative unknowns that have hired this little team who are experts in various fields. There are a few twists and turns and a double cross to keep you interested and some dynamite action sequences. However, without Robert DeNiro and a strong performance by versitle actor Stellan Skarsgard this may have wound up a likeable but unremarkable straight-to-video action pic. As it is it is an enjoyable if unremarkable action flick with Robert DeNiro. Enjoy it for what it is.
Rating:
Summary: Good action movie, but there is almost no plot!
Review: Ronin, directed by John Frankenheimer, may not be his best movie, but it still delivers the action that most people today would want in a movie like this. Ronin's plot is very simple. It's basically about a group of mercenaries that are being paid to find a case. That's about it. There are many plot twists and turns as the loyalty of some of the mercenaries turns from good to bad. The action is well filmed. There are 2 very exciting car chases and numerous shootouts throughout the movie. There is also a lot of different cities and towns (all in France) that the mercenaries travel to. So by the end of the movie, it'll feel like you've just watched a huge 3-hour epic when you've only watched a 2-hour movie. The acting is great. Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, and Sean Bean all give outstanding performances. The DVD is OK. It has a nice commentary by John Frankenheimer, an alternate ending, (which isn't that different from the original ending.) and a little booklet that chronicles the making of the film. It also comes in widescreen AND fullscreen formats. All in all, it's a pretty good action movie with great action sequences/car chases and breathtaking cinematography, but the plot falls short. Even the pretty good acting can't save that. 1998; 121 minutes; Rated R for intense scenes of action/violence and strong language.
Rating:
Summary: this movie just misses
Review: Robert Dinero is great and the car chases and accidents are
fantastic. Actually, I would rate this as the number one
car chase movie. They use small cars but the action is
fantastic. Even better than "To Live And Die In LA". The
movie itself though doesn't hang together. The characters
are cartoonish, the shootouts totally unbelievable and the
plot is sadly simplistic. To make matters worse, it turns
out DiNero isn't a Ronin at all. The story of the Ronin is
very interesting and may have been the original basis of this
movie. The end result though, smells of too many cooks and
the last "cook" forgot what the movie was supposed to be about.
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