Ronin [Blu-ray] [1998] | ![Ronin [Blu-ray] [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51afoAUpPDL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: John Frankenheimer
Actors: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce, Natascha Mcelhone, Stellan Skarsgard
Studio: MGM Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £22.99
Buy New: £14.90
You Save: £8.09 (35%)
New (5) Used (1) from £14.90
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 3066
Format: Anamorphic, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Media: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5039036033718
ASIN: B000O771WE
Theatrical Release Date: 1998
Release Date: December 24, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce
Amazon.co.uk Review
Robert De Niro stars as an American intelligence operative adrift in irrelevance since the end of the Cold War--much like a masterless samurai, aka "ronin". With his services for sale, he joins a renegade, international team of fellow covert warriors with nothing but time on their hands. Their mission, as defined by the woman who hires them (Natascha McElhone), is to get hold of a particular suitcase that is equally coveted by the Russian mafia and Irish terrorists. As the scheme gets underway, De Niro's lone wolf strikes up a rare friendship with his French counterpart (Jean Reno), gets into a more-or-less romantic frame of mind with McElhone and asserts his experience on the planning and execution of the job--going so far as to publicly humiliate one team member (Sean Bean) who is clearly out of his league. The story is largely unremarkable--there's an obligatory twist midway through that changes the nature of the team's business--but legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer (Seconds, The Manchurian Candidate) leaps at the material, bringing to it an honest tension and seasoned, breathtaking skill with precision-action direction. The centrepiece of the movie is an honest-to-God car chase that is the real thing: not the how-can-we-top-the-last-stunt cartoon nonsense of Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) but a pulse-quickening, kinetic dance of superb montage and timing. In a sense, Ronin is almost Frankenheimer's self-quoting version of a John Frankenheimer film.There isn't anything here he hasn't done before but it's sure great to see it all again. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews:
Lies, Cons And The Case March 13, 2008
DL Productions UK (Merseyside, UK)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Ronin is, in my opinion, is John Frankenheimer's best film - even picked up a few awards along the way. Robert De Nero's take on Sam is excellent, and even Sean Bean does well in this, as the crazy gun toting Spence. The star of the movie has to be Natascha McElhone as Deirdre; desperate to get that case no matter what. Was really pleased to see Jean Reno in this, his French flair being a centrepiece.
If you don't know what Ronin is about then prepare for a whirlwind plot, dodgy plans and wasted opportunities (by the gang, not direction), oh and probably the best car chases I've seen in the 90s. The best one being in Paris, closely followed by the one in Nice.
The film has a lot of twists and turns, and is a pleasure to watch, with De Nero, Reno and Bean this is an all star cast, with a great landscape and storyline.
The blu-ray is a total let down, only the film and the trailer is included. This is a joke as the Definitive Edition has an alternative ending, so why can't this BD? After all, it's only a 2hr film, and it's in MPEG-2 running at a steady 20Mbps - AVC would have been so much better. The uncompressed PCM is a blessing though, and it's commendable of Fox to use it. I would have liked MORE extras though, they should have included them no matter what definition they were in. The alternative ending is as good as the original, some have even argued better, so why oh why did they omit it?
Not a very good BD, if you have a passion for this film, then get it, it's all you could ask for movie wise. Otherwise if you want extras, and are not fussed about HD then do get the Definitive Edition, which is nearly a tenner cheaper and richer in content. The difference between the two transfer wise is noticeable, but only to the avid eye, and the sound is obviously better on blu-ray.
4/5 for the film, 2/5 for the blu-ray extras, 4/5 for HD transfer.
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