Ronin

Plot synopsis:
In a Montmartre, Paris café, an Irish woman named Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) meets five men, taking them to a warehouse and briefing them on a mission. The men, Spence (Sean Bean), Larry (Skipp Sudduth), Gregor (Stellan Skarsgård), Vincent (Jean Reno) and Sam (Robert De Niro), are all former Special Forces soldiers or intelligence operatives now working as mercenaries. The team are planning to attack a heavily-armed convoy and steal a suitcase, its contents unknown (a MacGuffin). Following the briefing, the team begins assembling their equipment. Deirdre meets with her handler Seamus (Jonathan Pryce), who reveals that Russian gangsters are bidding for the case and that the team must act quickly to intercept it.The team goes over the plan with Deirdre. Vincent will provide the team with any technology they need, including vehicles with modified engines. Spence is a weapons expert who sets up an exchange for the team. He, Sam, Vincent and Larry meet Spence's contacts under the Pont Alexandre III (Bridge of Alexander III) on the Seine. When Spence talks to the dealers, he's dismayed to find that they brought only half the weaponry he'd ordered. The other half is allegedly in another car on the other side of the bridge. Sam immediately smells a trap but agrees to accompany Spence for protection. As they approach the dealers' shady boss, a fat man in an overcoat, Sam sees a sniper hiding in the rafting of the bridge and shoots him. The rest of the dealers open fire while Spence, Vincent and Sam return it. Larry picks them up after securing the cases and the team roars off at high speed. When they determine they're not being pursued, they pull off the street, allowing Spence to exit the car and vomit. Vincent asks Sam why he took the job and Sam tells him he needs the money. He and Vincent share a knowing smile.Later at the warehouse, Spence is exposed as a fraud when he offers an incompetent plan of attack and is summarily released from the team. Deirdre informs them that they'll capture the case near Nice. The team departs for Nice, where for the next several days they observe the convoy and plan an ambush. During their surveillance, Deirdre and Sam pose as husband and wife and grow somewhat close. Sam observes that security surrounding the man carrying the case is airtight and that he keeps it handcuffed to his wrist at all times.The team engages the convoy and pursues them through the surrounding highways in the country. After a lengthy car chase and gun battle, they successfully obtain the case, but Gregor betrays the team and switches the case with another, identical case that explodes, seriously injuring Larry. Gregor disappears.Gregor attempts to sell the case to the Russians but when his contact pulls a gun, he shoots the Russian contact and kills him. Gregor contacts Mikhi, the leader of the Russians and threatens to sell the case to the Irish unless Mikhi pays a grossly inflated price for it, which Mikhi agrees to. Meanwhile, the rest of the team track Gregor through one of Sam's old CIA contacts and corner him in the Roman arena in Arles, where he is meeting the Russians. A tense standoff and hectic gun fight follows as Deirdre, Sam, and Vincent attempt to capture Gregor while the Russians try to kill them. In the melee that follows, Vincent comes face-to-face with a man he recognizes from a previous job and is nearly shot. The man is distracted by Sam and his bullet ricochets off the stone wall and hits Sam in his abdomen. Vincent shoots and kills the man instantly. Gregor escapes the coliseum. As he runs from the arena, he is intercepted and captured by Seamus, who has already killed Larry. They escape with Deirdre at the wheel just as Sam and Vincent emerge from the coliseum.Vincent takes Sam, who was seriously wounded by the stray bullet during the fight, to his friend Jean-Pierre (Michael Lonsdale) in a villa in rural France. Vincent removes the bullet and allows Sam a day or two to recuperate. Vincent asks Jean-Pierre to help him locate Gregor, Deirdre and Seamus. Meanwhile, in a Paris slum, Seamus learns that Gregor has mailed the case to himself at a post office in Paris. Seamus and Deirdre escort Gregor to the post office where they retrieve the case, and they are ambushed by Vincent and Sam. Sam, feeling a bit of closeness with Deirdre, hesitates when he could have stopped her escape by shooting her; she gets away and picks up Seamus and Gregor. During the high-speed chase that follows, they drive the wrong way against traffic and through the streets and tunnels of Paris. Vincent finally shoots out one of Deirdre's tires. The care crashes and falls over the unfinished end of a highway overpass. Construction workers pull the three from the car shortly before it explodes, but Gregor once again escapes with the case.Vincent and Sam, considering their options, discover that the case is identical to one used by figure skaters. They surmise that Gregor had been working with the Russians all along and that they had made the decoyed case for him. They conclude that if they can find the Russians Gregor plans to sell the case to, they'll find Gregor.Intelligence gleaned from Jean-Pierre's contacts also suggest the Russians are involved with figure skater Natacha Kirilova (Katarina Witt), a protégé of Mikhi, who is performing in a show at the local arena that night. Vincent and Sam appear at the arena as Mikhi, already there with Natacha, receives a call from Gregor, who demands to meet in a backstage broadcasting room. At the meeting, Mikhi exchanges money for the case when Gregor, prepared to leave, reveals that he has positioned a sniper somewhere in the arena that will shoot Natacha if Gregor is betrayed before he can leave safely. Mikhi shoots Gregor anyway, and Natacha is also killed by the sniper. Mikhi and his bodyguard leave the arena with both the case and his money, blending in with the panicked crowd fleeing the arena. Vincent and Sam follow the crowd out of the arena in time to see Seamus, disguised as an arena security guard, ambush and shoot Mikhi and his bodyguard before stealing the case. Sam runs ahead of Seamus and finds Deirdre sitting in the getaway car, where he encourages her to leave. He reveals that he is after Seamus, not her and that he'd never actually left the CIA. Deirdre hesitates and asks him to leave with her, but he refuses, and she flees, leaving Seamus. Seamus' exit is blocked by the crowds. Sam and Vincent confront Seamus, but are momentarily distracted by the security guards, and Seamus shoots Vincent. He escapes through the crowd back into the arena building. Sam pursues him. Seamus wounds Sam and is about to kill him when Vincent opens fire from scaffolding above the arena, killing Seamus before collapsing from his own wounds.Some time later a BBC radio broadcast reveals that, as a result of stability resulting from the death of the terrorist Seamus, a peace agreement has been reached between Sinn Féin and the British. Sam and Vincent share a drink in the same Montmartre café from the first scene. Vincent tells Sam that Deirdre will not be returning to the cafe. He asks Sam what was in the case. Sam replies, "I don't remember." They part as friends and Sam drives off with his CIA contact. Vincent disappears up a staircase into the streets of Paris.

Tags: mystery, neo noir, murder, violence, action, suspenseful

Review:
Ronin returns to the gritty, rustic and deadly serious actioners of the Seventies, much like Frankenheimer's own French Connection 2.The title refers to Samurai warriors in ancient Japan who were left with no cause, or purpose, if their master was killed.
Simultaneously lonely, seductive and mysterious, it surely is one of the best themes ever and anyone with sense would go out and buy the soundtrack CD right away.Ronin is perfection from beginning to end, from Frankenheimer's strong, imposing direction to David Mamet's script, riddled with cryptic dialogue and double-meanings.No one can deny Ronin's importance as a real action picture.
If you're sick of action flicks, or films in general, where the audience just sits there passively and is fed information, then Ronin is the cure.It may sound like a bizarre comparison, but it's on par with Lost Highway, as one of those movies you have to figure out in your own damn time..
"Ronin" is one of those rare action films like "The French Connection" and "To Live and Die in L.A." that will keep a viewer watching from beginning to end.
All of the key characters deserve a lot of credit, ranging from De Niro, Reno, McElhrone, Pryce, Skarsgard, and especially, Michael Lonsdale, who fills in the missing link with such detail and looks like he made the little samurai action figures with extreme care.
The best scene of the film isn't the shootouts or car chases, it's the conservation that Sam (De Niro) and Jean-Pierre (Lonsdale) have over the Ronin myth.
However, it's an outstanding film, exploring the characters with a huge action movie in the background.It's visually interesting and doesn't ever let you know the things you think you need to know, but by the end you've forgotten that you wanted to know them in the first place.
The movie begins with a bunch of international mercenaries, five to be exact, gathering in a bistro in Paris Working only for money, their job was strictly to take intact a metal suitcase from several menvery well armed who'll be intent on preventing them No information was given about its contents, value or purpose An extraordinary cast of actors forms the group:Robert De Niro, the ex-CIA agent and expert strategist; Jean Reno, the French mercenary; Stellan Skarsgard, the mysterious computer professional; Sean Bean, the ace field man; and Skipp Sudduth, the specialist in driving getaway cars Dierdre (Natascha McElhone) is the icy Irishwoman who explains the mission, but she is not necessarily the one fully in charge It seems that the 'handler' who pulls the strings is an Irish fugitive called Seamus (Jonathan Pryce).
The film becomes tense and very exciting when one of the five members double-crosses the rest of the team, replacing the suitcase and leaving with the one they got Here appears a mysterious man apparently in love with Natacha Kirilova played by Katarina Witt, the East German figure skater, 4-time world championinterested in the suitcase "Ronin" combines exotic European locations with the most sophisticated movie car chase ever filmed on a superhighway when McElhone takes her black BMW through the wrong lanes followed by De Niro in a blue FWD Peugeot De Niro is great to watch as the tough Sam, who remains cool regardless of the peril of the operation Equally not susceptible to alarm are Skarsgard and Reno Natascha McElhone brings a chilling, glacial quality to the role of the forceful woman not afraid of anything Frankenheimer doesn't recapture the intensity he once created in movies like "The Manchurian Candidate," and the "French Connection".
Provacateuse Deirdre (McElhone) assembles ex-Cold Warriors who are at loose ends to do a single job: retrieve a case "from several men who will be intent on preventing us." The crew includes French scrounger Vincent (Reno), American driver Larry (Sudduth), English gunman Spence (Bean), Russian computer whiz Gregor (Skarsgard) & American tough guy Sam (DeNiro).
To give you an idea of what to expect I regard the scenes where it is just Reno and De Niro to be ten times better than Paccino and De Niro in 'Heat' (which is arguably the greatest Thriller/action movie ever made).
The car chases surpass the racing scenes from his 'Grand Prix' and there is some of the best acting we have seen from one of his casts in this film.
You should probably see the movie for the acting itself, and for the tension between the characters that fluctuates as you go through the scenes.This is the single best real-life spy movie I've ever seen (as opposed to high tech/high action spy movies like James Bond / Bourne series).Reno and De Niro made a great roles here, but so did McElhone and Skarsgard.The whole plot is about a chase after a suitcase, or at least it seems so.
When a friend told me it was the best car chase ever, I thought, "This guy haven't seeing "Bullit", but I was wrong, and he was right, the angle that they shoot the chase sequences, make that seem really dangerous, we always expect them to crash, it look so real.The acting, as you expected from De Niro, Reno and Stellan Skarsgård, is really great, but De Niro deserves attention, he appears always safe about what he is doing, which strengthens the idea of him being so wise, and experienced.
Jean Reno is also credible as his French accomplice, while there are notable performances from Stellan Skaarsgard and Sean Bean.The best sequences, by far, during the movie are the car-chases, which are brilliantly filmed all the way around France.
(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.
(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!
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.
There also are tons of twists to this crime story.It also features a wonderful international cast" American Robert De Niro, Frenchman Jean Reno, Britain's Sean Bean and Natascha McElhone (both of whom are better playing Irishmen, as they do here) and Swede Stellan Skargsgard.
A woman called Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) assembles a team of professional mercenaries (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno , Sean Bean , Stellan Skarsgård , Skipp Sudduth , among others) from all over the world , they are specialists of every kind , whose services are available to everyone at exchange of money .
These mercenaries are like Ronin , in Japan ,"Ronin" (coming soon a film starred by Keanu Reeves titled 47 Ronin) means a Samurai without master .This exciting espionage picture packs noisy action , thrills , car pursuits , and spectacular outdoors from France such as Arles , Nice , Cannes and Paris .
Very good support cast such as Stellan Skarsgård as Gregor , Sean Bean , Jonathan Pryce , Michael Lonsdale , Jan Triska , Feodor Akine , Amidou and Skipp Sudduth requested to do his own stunt driving during the car chases and John Frankenheimer agreed .
He took another opportunity to change to the big screen , collaborating with Burt Lancaster in The Young Savages (1961) and Birdman of Alcatraz (62) ending up becoming a successful director well-known by his skills with actors and expressing on movies his views on important social deeds and philosophical events and film-making some classics as ¨The Manchurian candidate¨, ¨Seven days of May¨ and ¨The Train¨ and , in addition , ¨Grand Prix¨ also with great car races .
I don't think it's quite fair to criticize it for what it is not, such as saying that it's a poor film because there are movies out there with better car chases.I saw it at the theatre and thought it was OK, saw it on video expecting to be more disappointed, and actually liked it better the second time.I don't think the plot is as difficult to understand as some might claim.
I think not, they used them all.I could go on all day about the other errors, inconsistencies and, but I've got better things to do than waste any more time on this piece of rubbish, I just had to write because I wanted to see some more alternatives to the mostly "YEAH, GREAT LIKE ACTION AN CARS AN SHOOTIN AN STUFF"  simple-minded 'reviews'.(revidyks@rocketmail.com).
This international intrigue thriller set in France has all the usual Hollywood action excesses (car chases ad nauseam, stunts, pyro, firefights, etc.), and excellent cast, and even a bit of a story which keeps us, the audience, wondering what's in the case, why do they want it, etc.
The plot circles around five former agents (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean and Skip Sudduth) hired by a fine Irish lass to steal a case for her.
As I said before this is a great action film, with some of the most spectacular car chases I've seen.I'd recommend it to anyone.
Ronin takes place in France stars Robert DeNiro as Sam, who is among couple of others (which include Stellan Skarsgård and Jean Reno) hired by one mysterious female to get one briefcase and bring its content to that female (and her superiors which remain anonymous) without asking too many questions.
The direction is excellent during these scenes - highlighting the speed, danger and narrowness of the streets, the only criticism would be the camera lingering on several multiple pileups in the wake of the action, these made me feel like I was watching the Blues Brothers or Cannonball Run rather than a thriller.The characters are good, if a little stereotyped.
Movie has an international feel to it with actors from multiple countries with Robert DeNiro(USA), Jean Reno(France), Jonathan Pryce(Wales, but playing Irish), Stellan Skarsgards(Sweden, but playing Russian) and Sean Bean(UK).The chase scenes are the best chase scenes in any movie you're going to see.
They manage to have some of the best car chases and action scenes of any film I've seen in a long time without sacrificing the story as some films do.
The Direction is Neat, The Cinematography is Stunning, The Performances are Impressive & the Screenplay, is it's biggest & best merit.'Ronin' stars Robert De Niro and Jean Reno as two of several former special forces and intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded suitcase while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and alliances.'Ronin' catches your attention from the word GO.
RONIN is somewhat better than the average action film, as it focuses more on the development of the characters and the storyline than most movies in this genre.
Screenwriter David Mamet (writing under the pseudonym Richard Weisz) went to great lengths to avoid the many annoying clichés found in this genre, and even throws in a Hitchcock-styled McGuffin (as seen in PULP FICTION and MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE III, to name a few) for good measure.The acting is a large part of what sets this movie apart from many of its kind, as the all-star ensemble of Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, and Natascha McElhone do remarkable well in a genre that doesn't usually require much in the way of acting.Cinematographer Robert Fraisse also did well to infuse a sort of noir element in this movie.
I cannot remember the last time a movie featuring the flamboyant city of Paris looked so devoid of flair and colour.Bottom line: There's plenty to be had in RONIN; lots of action for the visceral action fans, excellent dialogue and acting, a great screenplay, decent storyline, and good music.
This film will mainly be known for it's great action scenes and it's memorable car chase.
The team is assembled by an Irish woman named Deirdre (Natasha McElhone) which includes an ex-CIA intelligence officer named Sam (Robert De Niro), a computer expert (Stellan Skarsgard), a fast getaway driver (Skipp Sudduth), a French man who knows how to track down anything and everything (Jean Reno), and a former IRA weapons expert (Sean Bean).The film is gritty and played out with a realistic hand due to Frankenheimer's constant vision of keeping things real, and not using any kind of CGI-trickery.
Much like 1994's The Professional (another film about a gun for hire, which also stars Jean Reno), Ronin is exciting, entertaining, well acted, well scripted and doesn't ask you to buy into preposterous events in order to get some sort of satisfaction out of enjoying the film; you buy it whole sale from the beginning and it never cheats you out of its believability.The film features two absolutely amazing car chases, which have now become a part of film history, ranking up there with Bullit and The French Connection, and also went on to inspire such films as The Bourne Identity and Supremacy.
It's a good ending in terms of where it leads you as a viewer, it just doesn't bear up to analysis well.The Paris-in-winter vibe, which director John Frankenheimer mentions in his worthwhile commentary as a critical element in what he wanted to bring to the film, is nicely done, as are the realistic car chases and street-side shoot-outs where innocent bystanders get hit in the crossfire.
All too routine, and more than a tad silly, but the film is mostly saved from self-parody by the excellent cast (standouts include Robert de Niro, Natascha McElhone and the always-wonderful Jean Reno), beautiful, fluid location camerawork, and superb stunt sequences, all under the veteran direction of John Frankenheimer.
Like spiritual cousins "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", "Ronin" features gritty, realistic settings, handsome actors exuding an air of rumpled coolness, attention to procedural detail and the insertion of a cracking good car chase whenever the action threatens to flag.
In fact, one could imagine an even-older master such as John Huston being the director.In contrast to other new films such as "Mission: Impossible" or "The Saint" it does not pander to a young audience with "coolness".What "Ronin" does offer is what almost all James Bond movies promise but fail to deliver: roller-coaster car chases, erotic suspense, spectacular scenery, witty dialogue, and above all a super-luxury cast with magnetic attraction.Another wonderful trait of Frankenheimer is his attention to detail: no sloppy cuts, no circular dialogue, no stupid special effects.The only thing missing in this eminently entertaining film is more women..
The only good thing that I will say about this movie is that it would be great for a beginning film student who wants to make action movies: Every basic shot, angle and result of a car chase is covered, including cars that explode for no reason.
Natascha McElhone's Deirdre is a developed enough in her own way femme fatale that is thrown into the mix and Frankenheimer finishes his car chases explosively rather than blow everything up along the way alá Michael Bay. This is Ronin; this is a two hour, but never feeling like it, thrill ride of suspense; action; twists and turns tackling issues of identity and mindset amongst a then changing world order; the likes of which are rarely seen these days..
With lots of bloody shoot-outs and some incredible chase scenes that rival the famed "The French Connection" one, this movie is slam-bang full of suspense and action.Set in the French Riviera (finally, a movie set in St. Tropez and Nice without any topless beach scenes) and with an international cast led by Robert DeNiro and Frenchman Jean Reno, the story involves a group of the best hitmen in the world hired by an mysterious Irish woman named Deidre (Natasha McElhone) to retrieve a briefcase for them.
Much like Heat, the characters bring a certain depth to this movie that departs from other action thrillers.Just look at the calm way that DeNiro and McElhone fall in love.
"Ronin" is an Action - Crime movie in which we watch a group of people who were hired by an anonymous person to track down and get a mysterious package that is wanted by the Irish and the Russians.
I also liked the interpretation of Robert De Niro who played as Sam and I believe he was the best in this movie with Jean Reno coming second.
About the direction which was made by John Frankenheimer I believe that it was just outstanding, with many action scenes, gunshots and everything I was expecting from this movie to present.To sum up, I have to say that "Ronin" is a great movie with an interesting plot that will grip you, an outstanding cast with simply amazing interpretations and an equally good direction.
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.
The chase is on.Wonderful action movie with fantastic performances all around, but especially from DeNiro and Reno.
If you like car chases, you'll have a good time watching RONIN.
I really enjoyed this film as it is a breath of fresh air compared to most spy-action movies out there.It has an all star cast with Robert De Niro, Jean Reno and Sean Bean to just name a few.
Then I researched him to see that he also directed Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), which is another fantastic movie.To sum this film up it has great car chases, great action and a good storyline to match.8/10.
In fact if you like mystery, action and a darn good yarn, or just car chases, just go buy the DVD because I guarantee it gets better every time you watch it..