Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This French-set thriller opens with Sam, a former CIA operative entering a Parisian bar; here he meets Deirdre, an Irish woman who is recruiting a team to steal a case that the Russians are also keen to get their hands on. We are quickly introduced to the rest of the team; Vincent, Gregor, Spence and Larry. One of their number is soon dismissed when it is revealed that he is just a wannabe rather than the skilled ex-soldier he claimed. The remaining members get on with the job but just as it looks as though they have got the case it turns out that one of their number intends to betray them and inevitably he gets his hands on the case. Now both the Russians and the remaining members of the team are after the case and if that weren't enough the team's Irish employers seem about to betray them as well.If you are looking for a solid thriller with plenty of action this is definitely worth watching. There are plenty of impressive shootouts and a couple of really good car chases. There are several tense moments and a few real surprises. The story itself is fairly simple and we never learn what is in the case. The fact that the case remains a McGuffin is a good thing to my mind; this way it can be whatever the viewer thinks it is; if it was explained explicitly we'd be wondering how realistic it is that both the Russians and a shadowy Irish group want with it. The cast features plenty of well-known actors most of whom are on good form. Robert De Niro puts in a solid performance as Sam and Jean Reno is equally impressive as Vincent. Natascha McElhone impresses as Deirdre and Stellan Skarsgård is great as Gregor. Sean Bean is fun as Spence even though his character isn't around for all that long. The ending is satisfying although trying to tie it in to certain real life events seemed a bit forced. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of classic action-thrillers; especially if you like a really good car chase.

This combination gangster/espionage/heist-caper film, very tautly directed by John Frankenheimer (best known for The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, and French Connection II,) and co-scripted by David Mamet (under a pseudonym because of contract disputes,) features Robert De Niro as a freelance commando with a mysterious background who is part of a team hired by Irish terrorists to hijack a container of something very valuable being delivered to a Russian mafia outfit.The possibilities arising from this array for violence and betrayal are fully exploited in the quite convoluted but essentially clear plot. The film features some great photography of Paris and southern France, and a series of cinematic set pieces, including not one but two car chases which are so good that they are exciting even if you've gotten tired of movie car chases, an extended urban shoot out, ditto, and some beautiful figure skating, something you don't expect to see in an action movie. Notable among the cast is Sean Bean in an atypical non-heroic role. Definitely an above average action film which anyone who likes that genre will want to see. Advisories: lots of violence though not excessively gory by current standards, some language. I saw this on the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Collector's Edition standard DVD, which was of very good quality; I believe there is also a Blu-Ray edition available.

...........................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA...and ORLANDO, FL "An Anti-Action, anti-formula movie" was my initial choice for a tag line for this review...but I wanted something more enticing! If you've gotten this far, you're probably looking for a little clarification. Here it is: It is indeed rare to encounter a truly original element in any movie. Much rarer still, is to have such originality overlooked completely by the viewing public. When this occurs, it really upsets me. RONIN offers us just such an unheralded moment of cinematic history! Initially curious to see what percent of reviewers had commented on the totally unique and unprecedented selection of a female driver, in what is, undoubtedly,the most REALISTIC cinema chase sequence of the past 20 years, systematically, I began scouring the reviews. What I discovered has not ceased to amaze me! I would like to share the results with you, and let you measure your own reaction.Out of the 212 reviews that were posted at the time, I carefully went over 70 of them! Only ONE reviewer used a name clearly belonging to woman. Unfortunately, she restricted herself to only 15 or 20 words, so she really didn't end up saying much of anything! (Of course, there were perhaps 7 or 8 anonymous reviews.) Of the 70 reviews, 50, or more, made reference to the chase scene. (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. Only 6 or 7 chose to mention her at all! Probably, more reviewers sited Katarina Witt's 3 or 4 minute cameo spot! (Of course, she was much more scantily clad than Ms. McElhone!) Finally, out of 50, or so, who did talk about the chase scenes, ONLY ONE linked McElhone to them directly! Amazingly, paraphrasing here the reviewer's words, "The car chase scenes are very authentic. (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! Some might argue that THELMA & LOUISE had car chases. These were all together different, because the movie revolved entirely around its title characters. In RONIN, nobody seems to make a big deal out of the fact, and it is actually Dierdre's boss who pointedly barks at her, "YOU DRIVE!" Is there a lesson to be learned here? 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. It pays yet another subtle tribute to the prowess of women, when an ex-East German operative (Stellan Skarsgaerd) says, "I've hired the very best sniper assassin...SHE never misses!" More than anything else, RONIN provides an utterly believable inside- track on the post-Cold War mercenary and the shadowy, detached world he inhabits, reminiscent of the insider's glimpse of real-world spies offered in the classic, The SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. If it's John Woo style Action films that make your day...You'll probably find RONIN much too realistic, too cerebral, too noir and too explosion-less for your tastes! On the other hand, if you like your Action movies well grounded in reality, RONIN is a near classic, anti-action, anti-formula film, with a most refreshing European aftertaste, that you will find quite engrossing and enjoyable! 9 STARS.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Ronin is well in compliance with this statute. It features two breathtaking car chases (one in Nice, the other in Paris) that demonstrate good old-fashioned stunt driving at its best. The one with two cars going the wrong way down a busy freeway has to be seen to be believed. One of my favorite moments occurs at this point, when a passenger in one of the cars nonchalantly decides it's well past time to buckle up the old seat belt. Ronin is something of a throw-back to spy thrillers that used to take themselves seriously and didn't wink at the audience or indulge in comic book style action. The story unfolds at a good pace with some interesting twists and turns along the way. The action may be occasional and brief, but as with the rest of the film is well done. It also features one of the classic car chases in film through the streets of Paris.However, it quickly hits 6th gear for the finale featuring a thoroughly menacing Jonathan Pryce. Special mention to a great supporting cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Natasha McElhone and even Sean Bean, who plays the fool of the piece for the brief time he's in the film very well indeed. All in all, Ronin's a solid action thriller. It loses something in the plot and a few details seem to be skipped over quickly but this makes the film fast paced and action packed. The 2 hours will pass all too quickly..Overall rating: 7 out of 10.