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Ronin
1998 122 min United Kingdom, United States of America R 18+
★7.1
Action, Thriller, Crime
Director: John Frankenheimer
Trailers
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Description
A briefcase with undisclosed contents – sought by Irish terrorists and the Russian mob – makes its way into criminals' hands. An Irish liaison assembles a squad of mercenaries, or 'ronin', and gives them the thorny task of recovering the case.
Budget:
$55M
US Gross:
$41.62M
Worldwide:
$70.69M
Starring
Robert De Niro
Actor
Jean Reno
Actor
Natascha McElhone
Actor
Awards
MTV Movie & TV Awards 1999
— Best Action Scene
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Action, Adventure or Thriller
Key opinion
Ronin is widely regarded as a quintessential 90s action-thriller, primarily praised for its exceptional practical stunts and realistic car chases. While the performances of Robert De Niro and Jean Reno are almost universally lauded as the film's backbone, audiences remain divided on whether the sparse, straightforward plot provides enough narrative substance to elevate the experience beyond a simple genre exercise.
| Acting | Robert De Niro and Jean Reno deliver anchoring performances that provide much-needed weight to their professional mercenary roles. | |
| Cinematography | The film features masterfully executed, high-stakes car chases and practical stunts that remain technical benchmarks for the action genre. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for being thin, with some viewers finding the 'MacGuffin' briefcase plot and character motivations to be underdeveloped or banal. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is viewed by some as an engaging, relentless experience, while others perceive the narrative flow as sluggish or overly repetitive in its action beats. | |
| Acting | Opinions on the supporting cast are split; some argue they add necessary depth to the ensemble, while others feel characters like Sean Bean’s are poorly developed or underutilized. |