Sam (Robert De Niro) is an American hired, along with an international team of covert operatives, to steal a mysterious but well-protected briefcase. With international tensions relaxed, their destinies are uncertain and their loyalties up for grabs to the highest bidder. None of them knows the identity of their employer, the true motives of anyone else in the group or the contents of the briefcase.
The one thing that is clear is that some will die for it and they all will kill for it.
Special Agent Matti
I love a good action flick and this is one of the loveable ones. Fast paced, full of intrigue and paranoia, explosions, chases, betrayals, double crosses, shootings, spybabble, conspiracies, accents and the fall of the Soviet Union.
While it's fair to say that this is a formula film, it's also fair to say that it uses the better parts of the formula to its advantage. The rising sense of tension and drama (if that's not an oxymoron for an action film) winds you up as tight as a Christian fundamentalist's bum. The car chases are horrendously fast, full of both hits and misses (in the "points for pedestrians" sense), making full use of the winding mountain terrain of nice and the claustrophobic streets of Paris.
Robert pulls in another gripping portrayal of Robert De Niro (he may well master it in a few more years) while Jean is somewhat surprisingly subdued (especially when compared to his brilliant performance in the cinematic masterpiece, The professional). Everyone else is more than adequate, presenting cinematic covert operatives in both their dimensions.
Ronin is a really intense go for guts film that's great for a night in with the boys.
M
23 August 2000
DVD retail: 27 November 2002