Ronin (1998) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!! 

OMG, finally. Not enough people have watched on the reaction channel one of the best thriller of the 90's. The name Ronin is fitting as they are all agents out of job following the end of the cold war now working as mercenaries. The car chases in this are insane and truly count amount the very best ever filmed. No CGI, no tricks, just beautiful metal mayhem. The idea of the movie, which might not be completely clear at the first watch is that there was (i mean in real life) talks between the British government and the IRA to stop hostilities, which did happen few months before the movie came out named The Good Friday agreement. Some in the IRA were opposed to this and about a month before the movie came out there was the Omagh bombing that killed 30 people. Aparently, the main vilain of the film, Seamus (Johnathan Pryce) wanted the suitcase (which probably had nuclear components) to use it to derail the agreement. That's why at the end of the movie they say that his death permitted the signing of the agreement and the DeNiro character was probably still active in the CIA, pretending to be a Ronin so he could catch him since we know the US was heavily involved into brokering the Good Friday Agreement. A smart and suspenseful thriller, deserves much more recognition. Please do watch one of the best thriller of the 80's Fatal Attraction. And no, it would not fool a native speaker. The only american actor who would is Jodie Foster whose French is astounding. As for the Russians, they want the case because unsupervised nuclear material is always good to have around and sells for a really, really high price.

The only film to have three main Bond villain in it. 4:15 - Alex (GoldenEye) 7:20 - Elliot Craver (Tomorrow Never Dies) 14:59 - Drax (Moonraker)

Ooh looking forward to seeing Shan's reaction to THAT car chase! The Fast and Furious movies can suck it!

Yes, the car chase scenes in this are EPIC!

Ronin's not a cinematic masterpiece but it's an underrated crime epic gem with a nice international cast with solid performances. This movie has one of the best car chases, if not the best in film history, De Niro's last solid performance from the 90s IMO. As a Robert De Niro fan, "Midnight Run" is a MUST!!!! One of the best buddy cop films, ever..right up there with 48 hours, Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon.

One of my favorites. The story is simple, stripped of superfluous details, and the action is real, not CGI. Real, analog SFX are so much more impressive than CGI.

The ice skating girl was played by Katarina Witt who won multiple World- and Europe Championships and two times gold in the Olympics for the GDR.

When that need has gone, when belief has died, what are you? A man without a master.

I would suggest "The Train" directed by Frankenheimer. The practical effects are insane and Burt Lancaster is amazing as usual.

Frankenheimer also directed "The Manchurian Candidate," "Black Sunday," and "Grand Prix," to name a few.

John Frankenheimer is one of the best director's out there. His best films: "The Train" (my personal WWII favorite with Burt Lancaster), "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), "Seven Days In May", "52 Pickup", "Black Sunday" and "The Birdman Of Alcatraz".

This is a great movie, but I’m still waiting for Midnight Run which is one of my favorite DeNiro films ever.

This is absolutely one of my favorite films, up there with Heat. Just a fantastic film all around.

A movie with Jean Reno that I love is "The Big Blue " (Le Grand Bleu) from 1988.

De Niro's French is alright when it's a few words, but it wouldn't fool a native speaker in a full conversation. This movie isn't as good as Heat, but it has some of the best car chases ever recorded. And it's all real : no special effects or camera tricks to make it seem faster (like in Fast and Furious), just talented drivers doing crazy shit. And it's all thanks to Remy Julienne, the best French stunt coordinator that ever lived. He unfortunately passed away last year. RIP.

Crimson Rivers 1 & 2 with Jean Reno are excellent.

If you like John Frankenheimer, recommend Seven Days in May, Seconds, and especially The Manchurian Candidate.

Besides the great action scenes, what made this movie memorable to me was the impeccable chemistry between Robert De Niro and Jean Reno. You are going to love "The Score" (2001) also starring De Niro and Edward Norton.

Since you asked for Jean Reno films, here are a few recommendations: - The Big Blue (1988). Considered by a lot of people to be Luc Besson's masterpiece. Avoid the 120/118 minute US cut like the plague. Either watch the french theatrical version (132 minutes) or the 168 minute director's cut. Note: the film was shot in english, so that's the language you should watch it in. - Wasabi (2001). It's a fun little action/comedy film. French language. Don't expect too much out of it. Save it for a day when you want to turn your brain off. - Les Visiteurs (1993). French language. Jean Reno's most iconic role. You might miss some french pop culture references and puns here and there, but this film is a classic for anyone who's interested in french cinema.

As a teenager, this movie was doubled with Star Trek first contact. My friends and I saw these movies for 7 days straight. Hearing and feeling the car chases in the theater was really something, especially when you don’t have your driver’s license yet!

This movie is just a great spy thriller action. With just amazing stunt driving but also a really solid thriller and a outstanding cast . Can wait to see your reaction

This is a deep cut of a movie, one that pays dividends on repeat viewings. You can't pickup everything on the 1st watch and that's by design. It's smartly-written and superbly acted with lots of subtleties. And... then there's THAT car chase. One of the best ever put on film. Others have said it better, but there's simply nothing better than pure practical effects; no optical trickery, no CG. Because you KNOW the cars are really bouncing off of things and catching fire, the movie delivers a gritty level of realism.

It doesn't matter for a McGuffin wether you know what it is or not (in this case what's inside the briefcase). In both cases, it only serves to move the story forward. It wouldn't make any difference for the story to know what's in the briefcase.

Aside from that bad luck encounter in the tunnel, the cops didn't "show up" immediately. Just like gunshots carry, so do sirens. A cop heard the gunshots and began responding in seconds... but still took a good while to arrive on-scene at the gun trade ambush. Plenty of time for the protagonists to already be on the road and escaping the responding dragnet. In the second case, remember the police were already on alert the moment Sam unleashed a grenade launcher in public. It was some minutes later, minutes filled with vehicular mayhem, by the time the anti-terrorist police unit had been mobilized and directed into the direction of the chaos.

One of my favourite films. That scene with Michael Lonsdale who helped Sam after he was shot, the camera going over the Samurai diorama as they talk about those with no lords, wayless and just doing things for money, it always gave me tingles.

The best "Guess" I've heard for "What's in the Case?" is that it's plates for printing currency. American, Chinese, maybe German Marks. Makes sense that either Russians or IRA would want that, it would fit in a case and be worth several millions dollars.

Frankenheimer's "Grand Prix" (1966) is a must-watch as it depicts Formula 1 in the mid-60s where death was a permanent companion. The racing sequences are still second to none, up there with Steve McQueen's "Le Mans" (1971).

Good movies with Jean Reno ? Oh... each of early Luc Besson's films. Nikita (the movie before Leon with the same character) ; The big blue (if it is the actual american title) ; Le dernier combat. And... Subway.

the ice skater in the movie is Katarina Witt, two times olympic medal winner

Kudos to Sean Bean for taking a non-flattering role. He's the Ronin in real life. Consider reacting to the 2001 action thriller "Don't Say a Word" starring Sean, (fellow Goldeneye baddie) Famke Janssen, Michael Douglas, and the late Brittany Murphy.

David Mamet actually re-wrote the script and that is why it is so good. If you watch the DVD there is an alternate ending in which we find out what happens to Deidre as the 2 main characters wait at the cafe for her, Great cast and fun time.

Top 5 all time car chase sequences with legendary cars…driven by F1 drivers!!

JOHN FRANKENHEIMER made so many great thrillers, dramas and actionfilms in the 60s, 70s, 80s & 90s! Movies like "THE BIRDMAN OF AKCATRAZ", "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE", "SEVEN DAYS IN MAY", "FRENCH CONNECTION II", "BLACK SUNDAY", DEAD BANG" and, of course, "RONIN" are all "Must See"-movies

You should review his “Manchurian Candidate” (1962). First martial arts fight in an American movie between Frank Sinatra and Henry Silva!

The French doctor that treats De Niro's character played a pivotal character in a great film from the 70's called "The Day of the Jackal" about the hunt for a hitman who's targeting the French President Charles De Gaulle. I highly recommend, it's one of my fave movies

One of my favorite Robert De Niro films is Midnight Run. Also, maybe not a cinematic masterpiece but absolutely a fun time with a movie.

For Jean Reno, he was excellent in “Wasabi”, and turned in an amusing performance in “Godzilla”

My suggestion for a great movie with Jean Reno in a lead role? Luc Besson's The Big Blue (Le Grand Bleu), 1988.

Frankenheimer made this movie with so many Hitchcockian references. The case being the obvious MacGuffin. However the characters were also the MacGuffin too. They have very vague or little backstories or none at all, which gives more intrigue to the movie. Frankenheimer's method of multi angle cameras is also used in his films. Sam firing the bazzuka at the car is one obvious example of this

I loved Jean Reno in "Le grand bleu" - "The Big Blue"... The two "Les Rivières pourpres" - "The Crimson Rivers" movies are good too.

The dialog is brilliant. It has Mamet's fingerprints all over it. When Sam retrieves the pistol he planted outside the back door and tucks it away, saying "I never walk into a place I don't know how to walk out of", Dierdre replies "Why would you get into that van?" and Sam says "You know the reason". We all know the reason, because he just told us. If you like the dialog and the style, watch "Heist" with Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito.

I saw this in theaters in 1998. Thrilling plot and action, strong acting and to this day I maintain this film has the best car chases of any film.

Great movie. The car chases in this film are very good. Looking forward to your take on this.

Well you ask an other Jean Reno film, The big blue(1988), le dernier combat (1983), Nikita(1990) (the original though small but outstanding role), les visiteurs(1993) (the original french), L'opération corned-beef(1991 spy spoof movie). But he's outstanding in the big blue.

Regarding your criticism, you can't apply present-day police response to crime to a film that was made pre-9/11. And the writer Richard Weisz was a pseudonym for writer David Mamet.

One thing about the car chase. When they're on dirt, there are no tires squealing. I think every other car chase I've scene, if a car is on soft ground, they still insert tires squealing. Except for Bullitt (the archetype for all chase scenes).

Yeah, 17:09 Gregor was the only one in that car who put on his seatbelt, and was the only one to be able to crawl away from the wreck.

This is one those movies I first saw as a pirated copy on a CD disc, my brother had. I was in High School so in my late teens. I really was blown away with the atmosphere, music, plot, top tier casting (this movie is literally packed full of A-list stars. from DeNiro to Jean Reno, from Sean Bean to Stellan Skarsgård!) and the action. Without any explanations this movie just takes you directly into the action and lets you figure out on your own who these people are, who they work for, which one of them are decent, which ones are scumbags etc. Absolutely a 5* movie for me!

The Crimson Rivers is a fantastic Jean Reno film, where he stars. He also makes an appearance in Luc Besson's Nikita, essentially playing the same character as Leon.

John Frankenheimer directed one of the best movies ever made in black & white 1964 with Frank Sinatra, the original Manchurian Candidate. You must see this!

The responding units are actually Counter Terrorism teams and in Europe during the Cold War and just after. You had a lot of Ex-Spies Spec Ops Operators running around the continent most EX Soviet Eastern Bloc countries like East German Sassi. That's what Stellen's character was in the movie. DeNiro is CIA and Jean is French intelligence and yes Derdra is IRA.

3:07 - The Big Blue, another great movie from Luc Besson

This movie is underrated for many reasons, but the biggest: Sean Bean doesn’t die.

If you are looking for another Jean Reno movie, try "La Femme Nikita". A great movie with Reno in a minor role.

"Wasabi" and "23bullets" i would suggest

20:38 - Richard Weisz who was credited as co-writer the script is a alias to great writer/director David Mamet

Great reaction!!!! This is my 3rd favorite movie (personally) EVER!!! (I've lost track of how many times I've watched it) The cast in this movie is phenomenal and top notch all the way and the writing is spot on, I love the fact that you have to really use your imagination and think about the events in the movie and what they individually mean. My favorite shot in the movie is the one of Sam and Vincent on the bridge looking down through the smoke. The locations in the movie are breathtaking, especially the French countryside and the town of Nice, France (those shots are luscious to look at). The friendship between Sam and Vincent is one of the best I've ever seen in a movie (they develop trust in each other and you can tell that they have each other's backs). The car chase scenes are pure chef kisses, seamlessly done and entertaining as all get out!!!! The amount of amazing actors in this movie cannot be understated, especially Natascha McElhone and Jean Reno. The case is a "macguffin".....as to it's contents, given the locations of the movie and the fact that you have CIA, IRA, an ex KGB and Russians (whom I always assumed were Russian Mafia) after the case, I've always thought that the case contains Soviet nuclear codes or sensitive security information.... again it's a macguffin do use your imagination. My favorite dissolve/transition in the movie is Gregor painting the fake case. Again, a great reaction, I really enjoyed it and was so stoked when I got the notification that you had reacted to this movie. Many blessings to you and yours.

One if my favorite Jean Reno films is Wasabi. Lots of laughs to be had with ridiculous characters all around! The "shopping" scene is always great.

One of my absolute favorite car chase movies, right behind "Bullitt". Katarina Witt, the gold medal champion ,was the ice skater. Cast did a great job, even though we were in the dark in parts. Thing is, this story is about spooks who have unknown pasts & this translated to us being in the dark. Not ahuge fan of Deniro but really like Jéan Reno & his screen presence. It would have been nice to have more backstory, but its still a great movie.

See Les rivières pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) from 2000. With Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. A very good movie.

one of the reasons the car chases look so good was they put the actors in the cars during the chase sequences

Jean Reno was also in Godzilla and Mission Impossible, and Michael Lonsdale was also in Moonraker ;)

If you read about the production, David Mamet did not want/share a writing credit. He does not wait to explain. You just have to enter the world and catch up. Glengarry Glen Ross, Spartan are two others by Mamet.

Deniro says "Get the hell out!" and Sean Bean survives this is what it takes to save the guy

An excellent spy thriller that has the added bonus of having 3 actors who played James bond villains!

When DeNiro said he knew the guy from high school, I don't thing he really meant high school

Katarina Witt, who plays the ice skater, was a two-time Olympic champion skater.

Not many car people on here: one of Frankenheimer's best films was "Grand Prix". Jean Reno: while he's very good as a action star, there was this hilarious romantic comedy he did a while back, called "Jet Lag". Definitely worth watching.

Great movie. You should also check out one of Frankenheimer's earlier classics- The Train, with Burt Lancaster. It is epic.

8:37 - this famous ancient artefact comes around in many movies

could never and still can't get why this movie has such a good hook i have the dvd and still watch it over and over .

"The Crimson Rivers" is another good one where he stars in.

Certainly one of the best car chases of all time. Frankenheimer’s most famous film is the brilliant Manchurian Candidate.

The cinematography and shot composition in this film is nuts.

Yes! Ronin! Let the evening begin! Edit: probably the best use of a McGuffin

On movie I suggest Shan is "Confidence (2003)" Its got this plot that you really need to watch the whole movie to really process and appreciate.

you should check out The Big Blue with Jean Reno

I've seen this movie several times and it gets better each time. It's one of those movies like "Dark City" and "Amadeus" that never got the notariety it deserved. The car chases and stunts are vastly superior to the endless stream of CGI crap produced over the last 10 years, and what a great cast! Hard to select a favorite De Niro film, but "Taxi Driver" is certainly in the running.

I've been watching your channel for over a year and have been dying for you to see this movie. I knew you'd like this movie. How could you not?

My favorite Jean Reno film is the French movie, "Les Visiteurs", from 1993. It's something of a French version of "Back to the Future".

14:38 "But I do have one criticism: We don't really know what's in the briefcase" Oh dear.... And then at 21:45 "I really didn't have any issues with the McGuffin". Yes, of course not :P

This is a very lean almost 70s style car chase crime film that reminds me of Bullit, french connection and the getaway. Just a very watchable movie. speaking of, have you seen 'Get Carter' (1971)?

GREAT movie!!! 👍😎👍

The car chases in this movie are on a very large number of "Best Car Chases" lists... But you've already picked up on the fact that it's very realistic. One of my main problems is that I own quite a number of those cases. They are cases for DJ's carrying about 50 12inch vinyl records. Enough for a couple of hours mixing. Ice skates are not ever carried in that box.

BTW, in the alternate ending (on the DVD and Blu-ray), Deirdre is kidnapped by IRA members and labeled as a traitor, never to be seen again.

The Boathouse at Hereford refers to the SAS training grounds. If he knew that he would be a real SAS guy.

There is a really fun French/Japanese film starring Jean Reno called Wasabi. He is a hard-nosed french cop who has to protect a wild child Japanese girl from the Yakuza, and that is all going to say about it.

one of the best car chase movies-as well JEAN RENO was a great lead in THE CLEANER but a personal fav is him in LUC BESSONs THE BIG BLUE

2:58 A French movie "The Visitors" (1993) :)

Cup of coffee.

Frankenheimer has a couple of MUST SEE films - the original Manchurian Candidate, and an underrated Burt Lancaster film called The Train (both black and white). But if you liked Ronin, you'll also get a kick out of Reindeer Games, with Charlize Theron and Ben Affleck, as well as his final film (technically a miniseries, but I think of it as a 3 hour film), Path to War, starring Michael Gambon, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Gary Sinise, Tom Skerritt, and many others. Its about Lyndon Johnson's decision to escalate the Viet Nam war, and makes a nice companion piece/ sequel to Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days (about JFK's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis), and Oliver Stone's JFK (about Kennedy's assassination). Think of it as the third chapter in that "trilogy", and your gears will be turning for weeks. Thanks for another great reaction/ review!

Shan, it’s very likely the case container a Soviet suitcase nuke. Not only would it make sense for Seamus and the more extreme IRA elements to obtain a nuke as the ultimate stick to push for Irish unification, but the former KGB and senior military leaders were known to have sold off any unsecured weapons after the Soviet Union collapsed. Nuclear weapons security in the USSR was incredibly lax even before the collapse, and with nothing left to lose, the KGB officers were more likely than anyone else to cash in any Soviet hardware they could to launder money and insulate themselves from the political fallout.

Frankenheimer's classic work is "The Manchurian Candidate" (the original, not the remake). If you want to see Jean Reno in a comedic role, I suggest "Just Visiting." I actually prefer it to the French original "Les Visiteurs." Sean Bean's character *does* die, but the scene got cut.

This movie is considered a classic. It’s one if the greatest movies of its kind. The case is a McGuffin, so it doesnt matter. The characters were well rounded and the exact opposite of generic Every time the police show up it was during a scene out in the world. They were already there so it’s not so much a response time. They were already in the area. They are only going to be one car since groups of cop cars dont usual travel together. Also there’s only one at a time because of the brief nature of the scenes. It’s completely realistic.

It is clearly an espionage thriller, more than a heist movie - it just doesn't telegraph it too obviously. So all the doublespeak and cloak & dagger, can be a bit confusing if you don't catch the gist of it early on.

I think the deal with Sean Bean's character is that he's a small time criminal trying to break into the big leagues. He may be a bit of an adrenaline junkie too. He lies about his history to make himself seem more formidable, but Sam can instantly see that he's a total amateur (and an unacceptable risk to Sam as a result) when they meet the arms dealer. Also, the "what color is the boathouse at Hereford" line is brilliant. DeNiro has Bean's character on the ropes so to speak. Even if he knew the answer to the question and said, for instance, "green," is that an adequate answer? He's not going to convince DeNiro of anything, and no one else knows the correct answer. There was no way to respond correctly to that question.

Luc Besson/Jean Reno. I first saw the combo in Le Grand Bleu(1988). Both done Good work. LB done Best car work Ever(Taxi 1-x, Lucy). All his films should be seen. JR is just a treasure. U saw him in Godzilla, but So many Good films, listed below.

This is one of my favorite movies. Jean Reno was in Wasabi which is a fun movie. 22 Bullets as well

This movie has some of the best car chases put to film before CGI came in. You can do good car chases combined with CGI but it separates out the process between production and post-production and takes away the spontaneity and serendipity you can get IRL.

You should watch some of Frankenheimer's older films like The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, or The Train. I think you would really enjoy them.