One of the things that makes this movie so 'real' feeling is that the cast are all age-appropriate. They are all old enough to have spent time in this world, picking up skills, and they are all a little soft, a little grey, a little wrinkled. They are people you'd pass on the streeet and never know what they could really do. I love action movies, but ultra-buff guys in their 20's as elite intelligence/military types always feels wrong to me.
That worked for George Clooney in The Peacemaker, as well, my experience living near a military base was that the 20 somethings might have been in good shape, but it was the mid 30s guys that seemed to have the skills.
@@broodhunter21Clooney in “The American” will always be my favorite role of his. He played such a nuanced character that you could believe had a military type past, and brought the physicality to back that up too.
The "Ronin" in the movie were all out of work Cold War Spooks and Special Ops. When the Soviet Union broke up, Europe was flooded with free lancers who went to work for mobsters and terrorists. That's why the events of the story were so deadly. Everyone is skilled, experienced and heavily armed.
@@lexkanyima2195 Among the characters in the movie? No, they were classic Ronin, masterless samurai, "Wave Men" (aka "drifters" in mythology of the Old west). The story of the 47 Ronin wasn't an analogy for the events of the movie, merely a reference. "Sam" was an agent of the US, literally a Samurai, so while undercover, he didn't betray anyone. Gregor was a treacherous criminal. Seamus was a terrorist. Vincent and Larry were classic Ronin. It's not clear if the Russians were agents or Mafiosi. Arguably, the hired men on salary would be Samurai, since a State employer isn't part of the technical description. Mafiosi would certainly qualify as liege lords.
"Everyone's your brother until the rent comes due." Not enough people have seen this movie. It's a '70s classic made in the '90s. It a cast full of heavy hitters at the peak of their craft. It's a masterful exercise in tension and release. It's one of my favorites from the '90s and thank you for reminding me how much it rocks. Also, besides the great action scenes, what made this movie memorable to me was the impeccable chemistry between Robert De Niro and Jean Reno.
*Now they're ready to watch Bullitt, The Seven-Ups, The Conversation, The French Connection, Klute, Blue Thunder, The Sugarland Express, Three Days of the Condor, et al.*
Intelligent action film. Doesn't spoon feed you the plot, a ton of moving parts, definitely the type of movie you want to re-watch to fully understand it. One of my all time favorites and a lot of people have never even heard of it.
I do think some of the dialogue was overly indulgent. Obviously this is because it's Mamet writing the screenplay and rather than him using his normal quick-witted lingo he instead wrote lines in response to questions that were never even asked and makes no sense (i.e. "JP: so who were these people, these friend of yours?", "Sam: I wouldn't hurt a friend", JP: "was that my question?", Sam: "that's right"). In these moments it would have been better to say nothing. But what we get are moments which a entirely different conversation is happening in Mamet's head and he decides to write something else entirely. And I don't mean subtext. Subtext has to make sense, but Sam'a response to Jean-Pierre in this scene made no sense. Maybe because Mamet was writing uder a pen name he felt he could afford to be lazy. Who knows. Either way, this is my only gripe with the film. Otherwise it's perfect
@@McKamikazeHighlander "I had friends who just wanted to live to open a bar." So his friends did not live. That's what Jean-Pierre is responding to. The dialogue in that scene is perfect. You just misunderstood it.
"Ronin" is a great, highly underrated movie. Unlike most movies of this type, it doesn't force feed you all of the information... You have to pay serious attention and figure things out yourself. What's in the case is inconsequential... It's a McGuffin. A movie that's definitely worth multiple viewings to get the most out of it.
@bmw128racer, It isn't underrated, just overlooked, as is the case for a number of genre movies from that period. It was well received critically when released (as it has remained since), though not greatly successful at the box office.
@@johnbrown8570Same. I remember watching over and over when I was like 8 or 9. I don’t remember watching for the plot but De Niro’s character and the twists and action always caught my attention at that age lol. Appreciate it much more now as an adult.
"Whenever there is doubt, there is no doubt." has stuck me ever since my dad and I watched this movie. He likes Frankenheimer's stuff a lot, for good reason!
Katarina Witt won many gold medals for East Germany. After retirement, she became a Photomodel, pictorials in Playboy and all. In one competition, she had a "wardrobe malfunctions" during her routine. Flashbulbs everywhere.
Sean Bean claimed to be a member of the British Special Air Service, a clandestine commando group. At the time, the SAS was based in Hereford. So the stuff about the boat house was Sam seeing if he was bluffing.
@trottheblackdog, He really didn't care what Spence claimed was his backstory. He already knew he was a fraud given his performance earlier on and just needed to be gotten off the team.
I worked at a theater when this came out. The number of times I have seen it, complete or in parts, is staggering. Like hundreds of times. and I have owned it on DVD since it was released on dvd. Never gets old.
@@CarlosRamirez-wb7zuOh, honey, no no no! It's the BMW M5 you're supposed to lust for. You don't want that waaaay front-engine'd Audi's massive understeer, lifeless steering, etc. Audis are fundamentally flawed from the start as they are front-wheel-drive-based with their engines all the way up near the front bumper and in front of the front axle. That makes them as bad as possible: most of their weight is on the front, and worst of all it's in front of the front axle! That makes it reluctant to turn and it just always wants to plow forward with understeer. It just doesn't want to turn. Then even worse: being so unbalanced they have to do extreme and bad things to the suspension to try to compensate for that bad location of weight and to try to keep the front suspension from bottoming out and avoiding the car constantly rocking forward, which then compromises the suspension overall. Meanwhile the BMW is fundamentally nearly perfect with the engine mostly behind the front axle, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, it's eager to turn perfectly naturally, and the engineers were able to tune the suspension optimally. Then on top of that the engine is a masterpiece stemming from the M1's engine's design and shares the same heritage as the McLaren F1 engine, the S70, designed by the famous 'Camshaft'-Paul Rosche. That S38 engine even has individual throttle bodies, making its response razor-sharp! And it's mated to a Getrag manual gearbox instead of some slushy old automatic gearbox!
@@pistonburner6448 There's a shop near me that specializes in servicing German cars. BMW, Merc, Audi, VW, Porsche. His lot is always filled with BMW's needing service. Not so much the other brands.
The things you pointed out about the movie being messy are deliberate to give you that feeling. In the espionage world, you rarely trust anyone completely, you don't know what is going on, and sometimes, things just end abruptly without an obvious climax. The movie keeps you feeling what the characters are feeling., which drags you in
I love the layers of misdirect in Ronin. Even the title is misleading, because Sam is still CIA, but playing disavowed (ronin) for his mission only to ultimately return with honor. He's trying to get to Seamus through Dierdre the entire movie, with little hints (he wants to go with her instead of to the gun deal, asking about how she got started, etc) that really pop out on a second viewing. It's also a fabulous use of a MacGuffin - it doesn't matter what's in the case, because it doesn't matter to Sam's goal. It only matters that we know who has it and what it looks like. So long as Dierdre wants it, and she is Sam's lead to Seamus, Sam is invested in the case and so are we. And never trust Stellan Skarsgard 😅
I also had a "huh" moment at the end when I first watched this movie. It was a new experience for me. Even at my young age, I realized I saw something different and quite amazing. The group I saw it with didn't like it, so I went the next day by myself to see it again. This movie is the opposite of a mess. It shows you everything you need for the movie and nothing more. As soon as it came to VHS, I bought it. I've felt the same about Heist and The Spanish Prisoner. We don't get the extra, because it isn't needed for the story.
@LordVolkov, If you're truly committed to the cause, you can trust Skarsgard in Andor (though that won't guarantee you won't be sacrificed down the line).
Well, the driver, Bean and Reno were criminals/hired guns, I think. The girl and Seamus were IRA. De Niro played a ronin, but I think Skarsgård was one and presumably the Russians too. Apart from Sam, none of them really had masters and even he might have been more like a commonly-used specialist-for-hire they'd sort of let off retainer and mostly stopped employing, who they simply hired for this one, than an operative. In a way, they were or might have been all ronin except for the guy Sam contacted for the phone trace.
@blechtic , Yes, while it may be obvious, I've wondered why Sam's contact told him, "I thought you were out" (or something to that effect) when they first met, if Sam had never left the agency and was on a regularly directed mission. Why would he say such a thing, in the moment, as he too, was clearly aware of the effort?
The older man who helps remove the bullet also played in another great thriller made in the 70's called "The Day of the Jackel" that I highly reccomend
Another good movie based in France is Frantic (1988) starring Harrison Ford. Great reaction. I love movies that are based in Europe such as the Bourne movies and many more.
This is one of my favorite movies. I bought it on VHS (!) when it came out on video having never heard of it. What an awesome surprise it was. Deniro is so good in this, honestly the entire cast, and car chases are so frenetic and great! 10/10 for me!
This is one of my favorite spy-thriller movies because it is so realistically portrayed. Everything is great, including the direction by John Frankenheimer, a top director in TV and movies for more than 40 years. I love the ending the most: not a comic-book, gift-wrapped ending, but underplayed, with no answers in the world of mirrors, just like in real life.
I love how for the first long section, "Ronin" seems like a thinking person's spy movie, something John Le Carre would write. And then they bring out the guns and the cars. Supposedly ghost-written by David Mamet, and the juicy dialogue has his fingerprints all over it. So many memorable lines. Well reviewed on release, but a box office bomb. Found a second life in the home theater market. I'm pretty sure that tunnel system in Paris is were Princess Diana had her accident a few years later.
Your favorite character, Larry who was killed by Seamus, was played by Skipp Sudduth. Besides being an actor, Skipp did amateur racing and was his own stunt driver for the car scenes in "Ronin."
After bullit, and after the French connection , this became one of the greatest car chase movies, real cars no cgi…. Some great camera work… I don’t know aging well , because people watch fast n furious and think that’s exciting .. but for old timers like me it’s a classic, thanks for sharing your passion for movies , thanks for being an awesome couple and thanks for your honest and heartfelt reactions…. Love from nj
Nice one! LOVE that this made it as your poll winner. I hope you 'finish' off the Jean Reno work-for-hire trilogy (tetralogy if you count Mission Impossible). Please have a vote for his 1990 La Femme Nikita. Otherwise, you can never go wrong with Michael Lonsdale (the surgeon/figurine painter) in The Day Of The Jackal.
Love this movie. Small detail: they didn't use the map when the cops came by because local cops might have presumably stopped to give them directions/ask if they needed assistance. Every little thing in the movie is thought out several levels deep.
So for some historical context, this movie is from the late 90s. This is just a bit after the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War (which had been fought in the shadows between the USSR and the West basically since the end of WW2) had ended. The Cold War Involved a lot of highly trained operatives working behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and disrupt the enemy covertly. Suddenly the cold war ends and their countries, their masters says "we don't need so many of you anymore...bye." Hence the title "Ronin" the crew are mostly all former Cold Warriors, now masterless, choosing to offer their skills as mercenaries. So in the case of Sam, if he was _actually_ out of the CIA, he might not have even necessarily done anything wrong. Depending what country he was stationed in during the Cold War, they might not have needed his services in the field anymore. He might not have wanted a desk job at the CIA and so left.
Sadly the tunnel chase in this movie is later where Princess Diana would die in a wreck. This is an amazing movie for raw suspense. Very smart look at the underworld of international espionage done more realistically than James Bond. This is probably more like how things are in the real world.
I thought so too for many years but no, it's not the same tunnel, but it is practically identical. Diana died in Pont de l'Alma, the chase is in Boulevard Peripherique.
@@SierraSierraFoxtrot Ha, you mean a Paris taxi driver told me a lie?? LOL. I was literally told this during a business trip to France as we were in the tunnels. Oh well.
44:47 This is so true! It's a movie by a veteran director with a bunch of veteran actors that pushes the line of practical stunts to limits still not tested, and somehow it never found the reach it deserves.
Talk about unlocking childhood memories! I remember watching only the two car chases and reenacting them with my Hot Wheels cars. It's been left on my parents' DVD shelf and hasn't moved since my time in elementary. I'm going to have to watch this movie in full at some point.
It's "Nice" that you're already mastering the dad joke 🤭 As a Sean Bean fan I did not enjoy him exiting so soon. I also assumed he'd be coming back 🤷🏽♀️ Once I got the DVD, I'd just watch it until he left. I pretty much forgot everything else besides Katarina Witt. lol I'm a figure skating fan too.
Bean: "You worried about saving your own skin?" Deniro: "Yeah, I am. It covers my body." Best line ever. Also, this is the first "McGuffin" I can remember being in a movie. I used to own this on VHS way back when it came out. Definitely an underappreciated movie.
This is probably the last hollywood movie to feature this level of stunts and practical effects in car chases in real locations! Something that's always refreshing to come back to especially nowdays. I highly recommend you guys watch another Frankenheimer classic from the 1986 called "52 Pick up", it's a rather dark thriller starring the main guy from jaws himself; Roy Scheider! On the same vein, if you want to see another geat aciton thriller featuring one of the best car chase ever put on film, watch "To live and die in L.A" made by late great William Friedkin (the guy who directed the exorcist).
Two great suggestions, adore them both especially the Frankenheimer movie it really is an exciting unsung classic thriller that I'm sure they'd enjoy watching.
Very true, even though CGI existed at this point (say, 1993's Jurassic Park) it still wasn't used as much as it is today where it's everywhere which is partly why movies now look so different, alas.
The ending is very fitting to the nature of the movie. These are characters that are used to doing their jobs without asking too many questions. if they don't get to know what's in the case, they're fine with it, they move on to their next assignment. De Niro's character embarrasses Sean Bean's character because he realizes that he's an amateur so this was his way of saving him. Great movie! Excellent choice.
Sam is not his real name. He is playing as Uncle Sam. Such an underrated gem ! The best car chase in cinema (the behind the scenes footage is incredible). And wonderful Michael Lonsdale !! What a cast. Best heist movies - Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels - Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham and Vinny Jones putting themselves on the cinematic map. So so British, eternally quotable and really funny. Also Baby Driver, Point Break, Jackie Brown, Gone in 60 Seconds, Cliffhanger and Swordfish just for how bonkers it is and how hacking really is not done !
I love this film! Loved the dialogue, the mysterious plot about a briefcase, the character interactions with little backgrounds about them, and lastly, the car chase scene! Still better than any other car chase movie nowadays in my opinion. 👍👍
I admit the first time I saw this I thought as the movie unfolded, it was just DeNiro getting a free trip to France....but the cast, the direction and screenplay (pumped up by David Mamet) are all top notch. For me it was a wow movie. Now, you say it it ended quickly but recall Sam was there forr Seamus and not the case (great MacGuffin) so once Seamus was dead it was over for Sam. Now there is an alternate ending (you should search it out) where we find out more about Deidre and that scene is cut from the ending (not sure if it was Frankenheimer or the studio who did that) but for understanding of more it would be worth it for both of you to view. Few have reacted to this and I am so glad you both did, well done. And Mrs. Schmitt do watch it again and it will make more sense!
@toddfuresz462, I agree the contents of the case aren't truly meant to matter to us, but I suspect Sam (and his taskmasters) wanted the 'material' secured just as much as Seamus had to be neutralized.
The actors of three James Bond-Main Villains are in this: - Sean Bean was in _Goldeneye_ - Jonathan Pryce was in _Tomorrow never dies_ - Michael Lonsdale (RIP) was in _Moonraker_
One of my favorite movies. All the performances are top notch. For another fantastic De Niro heist movie I recommend "The Score" along with Ed Norton and Marlon Brando.
Completely agree on The Score. Few people I mention it to have ever heard of it. Almost as good as Ronin, but DeNiro & Norton turn in some tour de force performances. 👍🏻
Besides the amazing cast, you get the dialogue from the master David Mamet (under a pseudonym). One of the things I love is that it does not explain everything to you. It presents you with just enough information and you either absorb it or do you do not. SO glad to see you guys do this one. This is truly one of DeNiro's last stone cold classics.
Mamet finally directed his own lesser heist flick later, 2001's Heist with Gene Hackman but it's nowhere as good as this film. Interestingly enough, De Niro himself later on made a heist movie called Heist (2015) which is even worse... He made quite a few of these, the overrated Heat (1995) and the underrated The Score (2001).
I was only 13 when this came out, and I was blown away back then. At that age, I wanted to watch movies that intelligent adults were watching rather than the stuff my friends were watching. Been a fan of Ronin ever since. There's actually a deleted scene from the marketplace scene starring Ron Jeremy as a fishmonger.
This is one of my absolute favorite movies, all genres included. It has an excellent script. Ver smart, very slick. For example: The notes that Sam (DeNiro) makes in a newspaper in the beginning, they look like doodles to an uninvited eye. This is correct note-taking for a spy on the field.
Aw great!!! I didn't see this weeks community post, so this was the absolute surprise!! I love this movie, saw it when it first came out! Great action and all these shades of grey that keep you guessing! I should stop writing and enjoy your reaction!!!
Loved your reaction to this film!! I was also a bit lost when I first watched this movie, but after viewing it multiple times, it’s definitely one of my favs
A good choice, quite an understated film in some ways, and not your usual action flick. I remember seeing this at the cinema when it came out, and my friends were a bit perplexed by the philosophical bits and the subtle-spycraft actions by Robert De Niro's character. Great character casting too.
Fun fact - this movie has three actors who played Bond villains in the Broccoli canon: Michael Lonsdale (Hugo Drax, Moonraker) Sean Bean (Alec Trevelyan, Goldeneye) Jonathan Pryce (Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies)
there is a heist movie titled just that HEIST with Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Patti LuPone. it is REALLY good.
The car chases in Ronin are to this day one of the most elaborate ever put on film. They even build cars with hidden stuntdrivers so that during the chases the actors were still behind the weel. These days the insurance companys would never allow such anymore. There is a very interesting doku on youtube about planing and making the chases happen.
Thank you for doing this! It's not a Hollywood movie., but I love it. The cast, the writing with red herrings and random notations. The cinematography is so lovely. This movie and Pulp Fiction: What's in the briefcase?
It's great when you watch it again... you see her touching her lips, contemplating the moment, realizing they may be there a while, he's also not that bad... and alley-yoop get's on top of him, lol.
Okay the absolute strangest thing, and I cannot explain why, but this is one of two Robert De Niro films I have never watched straight through. For some reason whenever I have sat down and watched Heat or Ronin something intervenes. I’ve seen them both many times in pieces, and enjoy both. But I’ve fallen asleep multiple times in both, or someone always calls, something always happens, etc and I never can complete them in one sitting.
This is a good movie in the late 90s thanks for uploading it. Lots of well-known actors Robert De Niro obviously raging bull, goodfellas . Sasha Mc Elhone Californiacation, Halo , Jean Reno, Leon the professional, Sean Bean we all know GOT and LOR , Stallan Skasgard Good Will hunting , and Jonathan Pryce ,007 and GOT also (sparrow)
Good to see you still finding the hidden gems to watch on the channel. This movie reminds me suggest you watch BRAZIL by Terry Gilliam, which also has DeNiro and Pryce in it.
That scene was filmed in the same tunnel where Princess Diana got fatally injured in that car wreck...I even read somewhere they were holding the movie release back a little because it happened after filming.
we have watched this movie several times. i think in the end it was never about the case, the case was a way to draw out the guy, the terrorist. and it worked. so in a way mission accomplished. as for the case? we will never know. like another Vincent in another movie with a case called pulp fiction. i am so glad you guys got to watch this movie. it took us a few times to watch this movie to get the plot. thank you.
It was fun to watch your reaction. You experienced it the way I did. Sam's character was so smart and calculating he was always assessing everything happening around him. Sam & Vincent did have good chemistry you're rooting for both of them. Peter Yates Director of "Bullitt" shocked the world with his car chase scene. This Director, John Frankenheimer attempted to top it in "Ronin" maybe he did...
What is a klick? A Klick is millitary jargon for one Kilometer. About 0.62 of a mile. The figur scater is portraied by Katarina Witt; she holds 2 olympic gold medals and 4 world championship titles to her name.
This is a really niece movie, one of my favs. That's why I miss so much pre-CGI film era, realistic and smart movies. For another good heist movie with Robert de Niro, I'd suggest "The Score" (2001, Frank Oz), with Edward Norton and Marlon Brando. Also, check "The Crimson Rivers" (2000), a thriller with Jean Reno and Vicent Cassel. If you liked Jean Reno in "Leon" (1994), you should definitely watch "La Femme Nikita" (1990, Luc Besson, same director from "Leon" and "The Fifth Element"), where his character in "Leon" came from. Re other special agent films, I'd recommend "The Eiger Sanction" (1975), with Clint Eastwood.
Nice reaction - definitive film of 47 Ronin is Mizoguchi from 30s - the title Ronin suggests this is a McGuffin film, w these highly trained professionals going thru the motions bereft of a sense of purpose - many 90s thrillers depict free-lance intelligence agents who'd been downsized as the Cold War ended - nobody does car chases like Frankenheimer, known for political thrillers like Manchurian Candidate; Burning Season is his best - this was DeNiro's Samurai phase, w roles like this and Heat - in the 70s he was this crazy-daring artist almost supernaturally gifted; in the 80s he was this supernaturally dedicated protean figure who literally re-sculpted himself w each role; in the 90s he was this supernaturally focused professional; after that he grew a lot less selective - what's in the briefcase? It's a classic McGuffin, simply an element in an equation, designed to be a catalyst for the plot - its mystery is the key running joke in this film - it represents the whole sense of Purpose for all these characters putting themselves thru such stress, and for what? In a way, IMO the punchline is that the case is in fact empty - and they've been going thru all this for nothing - because that's how they all feel about themselves and their lives, pointing again to the title - and so what keeps them going? It's a kind of Faith - lots of 90s films about a kind of Existential professionalism in general - people who've grown cynical and demoralized and disillusioned w the world in general and the Establishment in particular, who feel this emptiness of having no motivation, of not caring about what they're doing anymore, who keep going just thru sheer momentum and mechanical willpower Jean Reno and DeNiro are shown as members of the same species - nostalgic for the Cold War when they felt their elaborate skills were working towards some larger Cause - the Cause has disappeared, but they bond over the shared Memories and cling to the Ethos - - in a way, the mood was like ppl who'd lost their Faith, and are asking themselves why they keep going to Church - the perfect action-thriller image of this is a Ronin chasing some random McGuffin - other excellent films that touch on this theme and 90s miasma include In the Line of Fire and the superb Deep Cover
The Car Chase Scenes: 80 Cars crashed (destroyed) 150 stunt people involved in these scenes All stunts - as far as I know - were filmed without CGI Great Movie - one of my all time favs. Have a good time all of you Greetings from Europe 🙂
As a car guy I LOVED this movie. After 'Jackie Chan: Who am I' this was the 2nd DVD I ever purchased. Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgård, Jean Reno, Bob DiNiro, Natascha McElhone. Awesome!
Awesome reaction and one of my favorite action films from the nineties. Fantastic cast, brilliant action scenes and phenomenal pacing. It’s a complex film that doesn’t hold your hand and is like a seventies era crime thriller.
It was around the time of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. The reason for targeting Seamus is he was a hardliner who was a roadblock to the peace being successful. Seamus was on the run and needed Deirdre to run the operation. He wanted the case to increase his standing, he hadn't got the money to pay the team, so he was always going to double cross them. Fun Fact: the Merc was the directors own car. Also there were deleted scenes for the ending where Deirdre does return to the cafe and gets abducted by Seamus's associates for double crossing him.
"Perfectly messy movie" - you can attribute that to David Mamet's screenplay. He loves to leave the audience guessing until the very end. I'm so glad to see a reaction to this, one of my favorite movies. The tunnels were highways under Paris. The movie was released very soon after Princess Diana's death in one of these tunnels. The crashes in the car chase were so similar, the movie was pulled from some theaters. Also, if you love the car chase, this one is up there with the one in "To Live and Die in L.A." I'd love to see you react to that one.
#title "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight" (1995) Stars: William Sadler (of Die Hard 2) Jada Pinkett-Smith (A Low Down Dirty Shame) Billy Zane (of Titanic, and Dead Calm) Thomas Haden Church ("Sandman" of the MCU) CCH Pounder (of Avatar) Charles Fleischer (of Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
You know what's amazing about this movie? SEAN BEAN DOESN'T DIE!
Nice
He was probably cast as a red herring. Everyone thinks he is the bad guy or going to die but he is just chicken shit who we never see again.
He only gets figuratively murdered, lol.
Yeah but they subtly threaten to kill him if he talks.
And not knowing the color of the boathouse at Hereford saved his life.
One of the things that makes this movie so 'real' feeling is that the cast are all age-appropriate. They are all old enough to have spent time in this world, picking up skills, and they are all a little soft, a little grey, a little wrinkled. They are people you'd pass on the streeet and never know what they could really do. I love action movies, but ultra-buff guys in their 20's as elite intelligence/military types always feels wrong to me.
That worked for George Clooney in The Peacemaker, as well, my experience living near a military base was that the 20 somethings might have been in good shape, but it was the mid 30s guys that seemed to have the skills.
This is one of the big things for me about movies…. Nowadays they have kids playing these roles. That has always bothered me even when I was younger.
@@broodhunter21Clooney in “The American” will always be my favorite role of his. He played such a nuanced character that you could believe had a military type past, and brought the physicality to back that up too.
The "Ronin" in the movie were all out of work Cold War Spooks and Special Ops. When the Soviet Union broke up, Europe was flooded with free lancers who went to work for mobsters and terrorists.
That's why the events of the story were so deadly. Everyone is skilled, experienced and heavily armed.
They were all amateurs compared to the CIA: the premier terrorist organization .
But is it betrayal ?
@@lexkanyima2195 Among the characters in the movie? No, they were classic Ronin, masterless samurai, "Wave Men" (aka "drifters" in mythology of the Old west). The story of the 47 Ronin wasn't an analogy for the events of the movie, merely a reference.
"Sam" was an agent of the US, literally a Samurai, so while undercover, he didn't betray anyone. Gregor was a treacherous criminal. Seamus was a terrorist.
Vincent and Larry were classic Ronin.
It's not clear if the Russians were agents or Mafiosi. Arguably, the hired men on salary would be Samurai, since a State employer isn't part of the technical description. Mafiosi would certainly qualify as liege lords.
"Everyone's your brother until the rent comes due."
Not enough people have seen this movie. It's a '70s classic made in the '90s. It a cast full of heavy hitters at the peak of their craft. It's a masterful exercise in tension and release. It's one of my favorites from the '90s and thank you for reminding me how much it rocks.
Also, besides the great action scenes, what made this movie memorable to me was the impeccable chemistry between Robert De Niro and Jean Reno.
*Now they're ready to watch Bullitt, The Seven-Ups, The Conversation, The French Connection, Klute, Blue Thunder, The Sugarland Express, Three Days of the Condor, et al.*
Quintessential 90s cast.
Indeed. Those two made a great team. A sequel.could had been made with those two characters alone.
When I was a kid I watched this movie on tape until it was full of holes...one of my favorite movies of that time. Very cool shot
Intelligent action film. Doesn't spoon feed you the plot, a ton of moving parts, definitely the type of movie you want to re-watch to fully understand it. One of my all time favorites and a lot of people have never even heard of it.
Totally agree - very underrated movie.
👍
I do think some of the dialogue was overly indulgent. Obviously this is because it's Mamet writing the screenplay and rather than him using his normal quick-witted lingo he instead wrote lines in response to questions that were never even asked and makes no sense (i.e. "JP: so who were these people, these friend of yours?", "Sam: I wouldn't hurt a friend", JP: "was that my question?", Sam: "that's right"). In these moments it would have been better to say nothing. But what we get are moments which a entirely different conversation is happening in Mamet's head and he decides to write something else entirely. And I don't mean subtext. Subtext has to make sense, but Sam'a response to Jean-Pierre in this scene made no sense. Maybe because Mamet was writing uder a pen name he felt he could afford to be lazy. Who knows. Either way, this is my only gripe with the film. Otherwise it's perfect
@@McKamikazeHighlander "I had friends who just wanted to live to open a bar."
So his friends did not live. That's what Jean-Pierre is responding to. The dialogue in that scene is perfect. You just misunderstood it.
@@jpa5038 Totally agree, the dialogue in this movie is one of the things that make it a great!
"Did you ever kill anybody?"
"I hurt somebody's feelings once."
"You worried about saving your skin?"
"Yeah, I am. It covers my body."
"Ronin" is a great, highly underrated movie. Unlike most movies of this type, it doesn't force feed you all of the information... You have to pay serious attention and figure things out yourself. What's in the case is inconsequential... It's a McGuffin. A movie that's definitely worth multiple viewings to get the most out of it.
@bmw128racer, It isn't underrated, just overlooked, as is the case for a number of genre movies from that period. It was well received critically when released (as it has remained since), though not greatly successful at the box office.
I loved this movie. My parents had it on VHS in the late 90s and it was one of my favorites to watch as a kid.
@@johnbrown8570Same. I remember watching over and over when I was like 8 or 9. I don’t remember watching for the plot but De Niro’s character and the twists and action always caught my attention at that age lol. Appreciate it much more now as an adult.
"Whenever there is doubt, there is no doubt." has stuck me ever since my dad and I watched this movie. He likes Frankenheimer's stuff a lot, for good reason!
The “Ice Skater “ is a real , very famous ice skater , an Olympic Champion
“Katarina Witt”( may have misspelled)
Katarina Witt won many gold medals for East Germany. After retirement, she became a Photomodel, pictorials in Playboy and all. In one competition, she had a "wardrobe malfunctions" during her routine. Flashbulbs everywhere.
Massive crush on her as a teenager. Felt guilty with her being a commie and all. 😂
And she was together with "MacGyver" Richard Dean Anderson.
The woman ice skater is the Olympic Gold medal winner, Katarina Witt.
Sean Bean claimed to be a member of the British Special Air Service, a clandestine commando group. At the time, the SAS was based in Hereford. So the stuff about the boat house was Sam seeing if he was bluffing.
So what color WAS the boathouse at Hereford?
@@genghisgalahad8465 How the hell should I know
@trottheblackdog, He really didn't care what Spence claimed was his backstory. He already knew he was a fraud given his performance earlier on and just needed to be gotten off the team.
@@GearheadExplorer85 where's Waingrow??
The was he says Hereford is wrong it’s said like hera- fud
I have seen this film more times than I can count and I always find something new that makes me want to see it again. Jean Reno is my favorite here.
“ Il m'a sauvé la vie.”
I worked at a theater when this came out. The number of times I have seen it, complete or in parts, is staggering. Like hundreds of times. and I have owned it on DVD since it was released on dvd. Never gets old.
Subtle detail, but the reason “Sam” ambushes Sean Bean is because he recognized him and didn’t want his cover blown.
One one of the best chase films ever.
100%
This film makes me want an Audi.
I think the director made a famous racing movie in the 60s. Grand Prix it was called
@@CarlosRamirez-wb7zuOh, honey, no no no! It's the BMW M5 you're supposed to lust for. You don't want that waaaay front-engine'd Audi's massive understeer, lifeless steering, etc. Audis are fundamentally flawed from the start as they are front-wheel-drive-based with their engines all the way up near the front bumper and in front of the front axle. That makes them as bad as possible: most of their weight is on the front, and worst of all it's in front of the front axle! That makes it reluctant to turn and it just always wants to plow forward with understeer. It just doesn't want to turn. Then even worse: being so unbalanced they have to do extreme and bad things to the suspension to try to compensate for that bad location of weight and to try to keep the front suspension from bottoming out and avoiding the car constantly rocking forward, which then compromises the suspension overall.
Meanwhile the BMW is fundamentally nearly perfect with the engine mostly behind the front axle, perfect 50/50 weight distribution, it's eager to turn perfectly naturally, and the engineers were able to tune the suspension optimally. Then on top of that the engine is a masterpiece stemming from the M1's engine's design and shares the same heritage as the McLaren F1 engine, the S70, designed by the famous 'Camshaft'-Paul Rosche. That S38 engine even has individual throttle bodies, making its response razor-sharp! And it's mated to a Getrag manual gearbox instead of some slushy old automatic gearbox!
@@pistonburner6448 There's a shop near me that specializes in servicing German cars. BMW, Merc, Audi, VW, Porsche. His lot is always filled with BMW's needing service. Not so much the other brands.
14:11 "nice... nice." -daniel
😁 the tiniest smile after he says nice and hatches his plan.
That gave me a good giggle. lol
The things you pointed out about the movie being messy are deliberate to give you that feeling. In the espionage world, you rarely trust anyone completely, you don't know what is going on, and sometimes, things just end abruptly without an obvious climax. The movie keeps you feeling what the characters are feeling., which drags you in
I love the layers of misdirect in Ronin. Even the title is misleading, because Sam is still CIA, but playing disavowed (ronin) for his mission only to ultimately return with honor. He's trying to get to Seamus through Dierdre the entire movie, with little hints (he wants to go with her instead of to the gun deal, asking about how she got started, etc) that really pop out on a second viewing.
It's also a fabulous use of a MacGuffin - it doesn't matter what's in the case, because it doesn't matter to Sam's goal. It only matters that we know who has it and what it looks like. So long as Dierdre wants it, and she is Sam's lead to Seamus, Sam is invested in the case and so are we.
And never trust Stellan Skarsgard 😅
But it's no mere Macguffin. It's actually the case that they gave me!
I also had a "huh" moment at the end when I first watched this movie. It was a new experience for me. Even at my young age, I realized I saw something different and quite amazing. The group I saw it with didn't like it, so I went the next day by myself to see it again. This movie is the opposite of a mess. It shows you everything you need for the movie and nothing more. As soon as it came to VHS, I bought it. I've felt the same about Heist and The Spanish Prisoner. We don't get the extra, because it isn't needed for the story.
@LordVolkov, If you're truly committed to the cause, you can trust Skarsgard in Andor (though that won't guarantee you won't be sacrificed down the line).
Well, the driver, Bean and Reno were criminals/hired guns, I think. The girl and Seamus were IRA. De Niro played a ronin, but I think Skarsgård was one and presumably the Russians too. Apart from Sam, none of them really had masters and even he might have been more like a commonly-used specialist-for-hire they'd sort of let off retainer and mostly stopped employing, who they simply hired for this one, than an operative. In a way, they were or might have been all ronin except for the guy Sam contacted for the phone trace.
@blechtic , Yes, while it may be obvious, I've wondered why Sam's contact told him, "I thought you were out" (or something to that effect) when they first met, if Sam had never left the agency and was on a regularly directed mission. Why would he say such a thing, in the moment, as he too, was clearly aware of the effort?
The older man who helps remove the bullet also played in another great thriller made in the 70's called "The Day of the Jackel" that I highly reccomend
Click is typically military vernacular for kilometer. 1 click = 1 kilometer
Yep. Though, I like to spell it “klick”, lol
And commonly adopted in Canada after we went metric.
Another good movie based in France is Frantic (1988) starring Harrison Ford. Great reaction. I love movies that are based in Europe such as the Bourne movies and many more.
Frantic is very good, lots of Polanski classics to react to if they've put Rosemary's Baby behind them... ;-]
This is one of my favorite movies. I bought it on VHS (!) when it came out on video having never heard of it. What an awesome surprise it was. Deniro is so good in this, honestly the entire cast, and car chases are so frenetic and great! 10/10 for me!
This is one of my favorite spy-thriller movies because it is so realistically portrayed. Everything is great, including the direction by John Frankenheimer, a top director in TV and movies for more than 40 years. I love the ending the most: not a comic-book, gift-wrapped ending, but underplayed, with no answers in the world of mirrors, just like in real life.
I love how for the first long section, "Ronin" seems like a thinking person's spy movie, something John Le Carre would write. And then they bring out the guns and the cars.
Supposedly ghost-written by David Mamet, and the juicy dialogue has his fingerprints all over it. So many memorable lines.
Well reviewed on release, but a box office bomb. Found a second life in the home theater market.
I'm pretty sure that tunnel system in Paris is were Princess Diana had her accident a few years later.
Different albeit VERY similar tunnel. Also she died in 97. Movie was released in 98, so probably filmed in 97/98.
Your favorite character, Larry who was killed by Seamus, was played by Skipp Sudduth. Besides being an actor, Skipp did amateur racing and was his own stunt driver for the car scenes in "Ronin."
After bullit, and after the French connection , this became one of the greatest car chase movies, real cars no cgi…. Some great camera work… I don’t know aging well , because people watch fast n furious and think that’s exciting .. but for old timers like me it’s a classic, thanks for sharing your passion for movies , thanks for being an awesome couple and thanks for your honest and heartfelt reactions…. Love from nj
I like the real car chase, no added sets or studio. Just real filming
Nice one! LOVE that this made it as your poll winner. I hope you 'finish' off the Jean Reno work-for-hire trilogy (tetralogy if you count Mission Impossible). Please have a vote for his 1990 La Femme Nikita. Otherwise, you can never go wrong with Michael Lonsdale (the surgeon/figurine painter) in The Day Of The Jackal.
Lonsdale was a class act. RIP.
@@andrewcrowder4958 So commanding; he just draws you in with his performances, you can't look anywhere else when he's in the shot.
one of my favorite movies of all time. The little details speak way more volumes then the dialogue.
17:46 "little little tiny bomb." -daniel
the tiny voice. 😆
Love this movie. Small detail: they didn't use the map when the cops came by because local cops might have presumably stopped to give them directions/ask if they needed assistance. Every little thing in the movie is thought out several levels deep.
Thank you so much I requested this a year ago. One of my favorite movies of all time
So for some historical context, this movie is from the late 90s. This is just a bit after the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War (which had been fought in the shadows between the USSR and the West basically since the end of WW2) had ended. The Cold War Involved a lot of highly trained operatives working behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and disrupt the enemy covertly. Suddenly the cold war ends and their countries, their masters says "we don't need so many of you anymore...bye." Hence the title "Ronin" the crew are mostly all former Cold Warriors, now masterless, choosing to offer their skills as mercenaries.
So in the case of Sam, if he was _actually_ out of the CIA, he might not have even necessarily done anything wrong. Depending what country he was stationed in during the Cold War, they might not have needed his services in the field anymore. He might not have wanted a desk job at the CIA and so left.
33:35 "😮😮😮" -sam
great gasp. sam has one of the best on youtube.
Sadly the tunnel chase in this movie is later where Princess Diana would die in a wreck. This is an amazing movie for raw suspense. Very smart look at the underworld of international espionage done more realistically than James Bond. This is probably more like how things are in the real world.
I thought so too for many years but no, it's not the same tunnel, but it is practically identical.
Diana died in Pont de l'Alma, the chase is in Boulevard Peripherique.
@@SierraSierraFoxtrot Ha, you mean a Paris taxi driver told me a lie?? LOL. I was literally told this during a business trip to France as we were in the tunnels. Oh well.
This film, Bullit, and French Connection had awesome car chase scenes.
The Driver (1978) had the greatest final car chase scene and a bonus car park scene where the driver shows his skill to his clients
@@RaagulanRR I need to see that one
Freidkin tops himself in "To Live and Die in LA" for a car chase sequence.
All great movies!
@@RaagulanRR Seven Up has a great car chase scene.
"Sneakers" is a great heist film, with a stacked cast.
Sneakers is criminally underrated. What a brilliant movie. Also the technology doesn't look out of place even 30 years on.
One of my all-time favorites.
This I feel is one of those overlooked movies. And it is a fantastic movie. Great reaction guys.
44:47 This is so true! It's a movie by a veteran director with a bunch of veteran actors that pushes the line of practical stunts to limits still not tested, and somehow it never found the reach it deserves.
But is there so many added cgi ?
@@lexkanyima2195 Can you explain what you mean?
Talk about unlocking childhood memories! I remember watching only the two car chases and reenacting them with my Hot Wheels cars. It's been left on my parents' DVD shelf and hasn't moved since my time in elementary. I'm going to have to watch this movie in full at some point.
It's "Nice" that you're already mastering the dad joke 🤭
As a Sean Bean fan I did not enjoy him exiting so soon. I also assumed he'd be coming back 🤷🏽♀️ Once I got the DVD, I'd just watch it until he left. I pretty much forgot everything else besides Katarina Witt. lol I'm a figure skating fan too.
Bean: "You worried about saving your own skin?" Deniro: "Yeah, I am. It covers my body." Best line ever. Also, this is the first "McGuffin" I can remember being in a movie. I used to own this on VHS way back when it came out. Definitely an underappreciated movie.
Pulp Fiction has another classic case of a McGuffin. You never find out what's in Marcellus' briefcase.
This is probably the last hollywood movie to feature this level of stunts and practical effects in car chases in real locations! Something that's always refreshing to come back to especially nowdays.
I highly recommend you guys watch another Frankenheimer classic from the 1986 called "52 Pick up", it's a rather dark thriller starring the main guy from jaws himself; Roy Scheider!
On the same vein, if you want to see another geat aciton thriller featuring one of the best car chase ever put on film, watch "To live and die in L.A" made by late great William Friedkin (the guy who directed the exorcist).
Two great suggestions, adore them both especially the Frankenheimer movie it really is an exciting unsung classic thriller that I'm sure they'd enjoy watching.
Beverly Hills Cop 4 and Bad Boys 4 might bring it back.
The best thing about 1990s cinena was when they made movies in the style of the 1970s with 90s talent.
Very true, even though CGI existed at this point (say, 1993's Jurassic Park) it still wasn't used as much as it is today where it's everywhere which is partly why movies now look so different, alas.
@@LarryFleetwood8675and they should have deminished by 2010's
The ending is very fitting to the nature of the movie. These are characters that are used to doing their jobs without asking too many questions. if they don't get to know what's in the case, they're fine with it, they move on to their next assignment.
De Niro's character embarrasses Sean Bean's character because he realizes that he's an amateur so this was his way of saving him.
Great movie! Excellent choice.
Sam is not his real name. He is playing as Uncle Sam.
Such an underrated gem ! The best car chase in cinema (the behind the scenes footage is incredible). And wonderful Michael Lonsdale !! What a cast.
Best heist movies - Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels - Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham and Vinny Jones putting themselves on the cinematic map. So so British, eternally quotable and really funny.
Also Baby Driver, Point Break, Jackie Brown, Gone in 60 Seconds, Cliffhanger and Swordfish just for how bonkers it is and how hacking really is not done !
I love this film! Loved the dialogue, the mysterious plot about a briefcase, the character interactions with little backgrounds about them, and lastly, the car chase scene! Still better than any other car chase movie nowadays in my opinion. 👍👍
I admit the first time I saw this I thought as the movie unfolded, it was just DeNiro getting a free trip to France....but the cast, the direction and screenplay (pumped up by David Mamet) are all top notch. For me it was a wow movie. Now, you say it it ended quickly but recall Sam was there forr Seamus and not the case (great MacGuffin) so once Seamus was dead it was over for Sam. Now there is an alternate ending (you should search it out) where we find out more about Deidre and that scene is cut from the ending (not sure if it was Frankenheimer or the studio who did that) but for understanding of more it would be worth it for both of you to view. Few have reacted to this and I am so glad you both did, well done. And Mrs. Schmitt do watch it again and it will make more sense!
@toddfuresz462, I agree the contents of the case aren't truly meant to matter to us, but I suspect Sam (and his taskmasters) wanted the 'material' secured just as much as Seamus had to be neutralized.
The actors of three James Bond-Main Villains are in this:
- Sean Bean was in _Goldeneye_
- Jonathan Pryce was in _Tomorrow never dies_
- Michael Lonsdale (RIP) was in _Moonraker_
One of my favorite movies. All the performances are top notch.
For another fantastic De Niro heist movie I recommend "The Score" along with Ed Norton and Marlon Brando.
Completely agree on The Score. Few people I mention it to have ever heard of it. Almost as good as Ronin, but DeNiro & Norton turn in some tour de force performances. 👍🏻
Yes, they're very different in story but so equally good heist movies.
If Deniro hasn't been in the intelligence game in this movie his character could have been a pretty good barista, he get a lot done with coffee.
This was the movie that introduced me to the Audi S8!😅😅😅😅
Me too. Don’t have one yet.
To this day, it's still my ultimate "sleeper" car
@@jasonm8017 don't forget to replace the original injectors for the custom ones once you get the car :)
Rather have the Mercedes 6.9😂
Besides the amazing cast, you get the dialogue from the master David Mamet (under a pseudonym). One of the things I love is that it does not explain everything to you. It presents you with just enough information and you either absorb it or do you do not. SO glad to see you guys do this one. This is truly one of DeNiro's last stone cold classics.
Mamet finally directed his own lesser heist flick later, 2001's Heist with Gene Hackman but it's nowhere as good as this film. Interestingly enough, De Niro himself later on made a heist movie called Heist (2015) which is even worse... He made quite a few of these, the overrated Heat (1995) and the underrated The Score (2001).
@@LarryFleetwood8675Nah. Heat is not overrated. It's really one of the greats.
I was only 13 when this came out, and I was blown away back then. At that age, I wanted to watch movies that intelligent adults were watching rather than the stuff my friends were watching. Been a fan of Ronin ever since. There's actually a deleted scene from the marketplace scene starring Ron Jeremy as a fishmonger.
“NICE “!
Good job, Nice job!
(Loved at the end , Sam joined the “Nice” )
This is one of my absolute favorite movies, all genres included. It has an excellent script. Ver smart, very slick. For example: The notes that Sam (DeNiro) makes in a newspaper in the beginning, they look like doodles to an uninvited eye. This is correct note-taking for a spy on the field.
Aw great!!! I didn't see this weeks community post, so this was the absolute surprise!!
I love this movie, saw it when it first came out! Great action and all these shades of grey that keep you guessing!
I should stop writing and enjoy your reaction!!!
One of the best car chases ever. I remember watching a behinds the scene about that and the director said “I don’t want to see brake lights.”
Loved your reaction to this film!! I was also a bit lost when I first watched this movie, but after viewing it multiple times, it’s definitely one of my favs
A good choice, quite an understated film in some ways, and not your usual action flick. I remember seeing this at the cinema when it came out, and my friends were a bit perplexed by the philosophical bits and the subtle-spycraft actions by Robert De Niro's character.
Great character casting too.
"Where do I know you from?"
I'm not sure, but you SHOULD know him from Brazil -- one of the absolute GREATS!!!
Fun fact - this movie has three actors who played Bond villains in the Broccoli canon:
Michael Lonsdale (Hugo Drax, Moonraker)
Sean Bean (Alec Trevelyan, Goldeneye)
Jonathan Pryce (Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies)
there is a heist movie titled just that HEIST with Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Patti LuPone. it is REALLY good.
Same writer (now also directing) as this movie, Ronin.
It's okay I guess, though not as good as Ronin.
@@LarryFleetwood8675Heist is a solid movie.
I love this movie! Thriller, espionage, and action all rolled into one! Plus De Niro’s snappy dialogue.
The car chases in Ronin are to this day one of the most elaborate ever put on film. They even build cars with hidden stuntdrivers so that during the chases the actors were still behind the weel. These days the insurance companys would never allow such anymore. There is a very interesting doku on youtube about planing and making the chases happen.
Thank you for doing this! It's not a Hollywood movie., but I love it. The cast, the writing with red herrings and random notations. The cinematography is so lovely.
This movie and Pulp Fiction: What's in the briefcase?
Another great heist movie: The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974).
I really wish they would react to the 1974 version
@@clash5j I heard the other one was pretty lame. Absolutely has to be the original. Editing my comment.
@@marcuscato9083 I'm sure their patreons will never vote for it, but I know they would absolutely love it. What a fun gritty NYC heist film!!
@@clash5j i saw it in a theater as part of a film festival. The crowd absolutely loved it!
@@marcuscato9083 Yes, the remake is awful. The original is a masterclass in how to make an action movie.
CAR CHASE =
“BULLIT”’
With Steve Mc Queen,
that was one of the first car chases !! San Francisco, down Lombard Street!!
Hi, guys. I usually just “lurk,” but had to thank you for watching a film that almost no one reacts to that is also one of my favorites.
Nice 😊
ive seen this movie over 50 times, its a classic. In top 20 of mine...
14:02 "did she see some cops?" -daniel ☺️
It's great when you watch it again... you see her touching her lips, contemplating the moment, realizing they may be there a while, he's also not that bad... and alley-yoop get's on top of him, lol.
Let's goooo. I fucking love this movie.
One of my favorite movies. It gets better the more you watch it too. I watch this and Heat once per year.
Okay the absolute strangest thing, and I cannot explain why, but this is one of two Robert De Niro films I have never watched straight through. For some reason whenever I have sat down and watched Heat or Ronin something intervenes. I’ve seen them both many times in pieces, and enjoy both. But I’ve fallen asleep multiple times in both, or someone always calls, something always happens, etc and I never can complete them in one sitting.
This is a good movie in the late 90s thanks for uploading it. Lots of well-known actors Robert De Niro obviously raging bull, goodfellas . Sasha Mc Elhone Californiacation, Halo , Jean Reno, Leon the professional, Sean Bean we all know GOT and LOR , Stallan Skasgard Good Will hunting , and Jonathan Pryce ,007 and GOT also (sparrow)
Good to see you still finding the hidden gems to watch on the channel. This movie reminds me suggest you watch BRAZIL by Terry Gilliam, which also has DeNiro and Pryce in it.
16:03 "oh nooo! the fruit man." -sam
😮😆
Sure Wish You Would Watch
“AWAKENING “
with Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams.
Beautiful movie, totally different role for both of them!!
Agreed these guys will love it
29:15 "damn. guy was driving a pinto." -daniel
🔥💥
That scene was filmed in the same tunnel where Princess Diana got fatally injured in that car wreck...I even read somewhere they were holding the movie release back a little because it happened after filming.
Yep. That's daddy Skarsgard
we have watched this movie several times. i think in the end it was never about the case, the case was a way to draw out the guy, the terrorist. and it worked. so in a way mission accomplished. as for the case? we will never know. like another Vincent in another movie with a case called pulp fiction. i am so glad you guys got to watch this movie. it took us a few times to watch this movie to get the plot. thank you.
It was fun to watch your reaction. You experienced it the way I did. Sam's character was so smart and calculating he was always assessing everything happening around him. Sam & Vincent did have good chemistry you're rooting for both of them. Peter Yates Director of "Bullitt" shocked the world with his car chase scene. This Director, John Frankenheimer attempted to top it in "Ronin" maybe he did...
What is a klick?
A Klick is millitary jargon for one Kilometer. About 0.62 of a mile.
The figur scater is portraied by Katarina Witt; she holds 2 olympic gold medals and 4 world championship titles to her name.
This is a really niece movie, one of my favs. That's why I miss so much pre-CGI film era, realistic and smart movies. For another good heist movie with Robert de Niro, I'd suggest "The Score" (2001, Frank Oz), with Edward Norton and Marlon Brando. Also, check "The Crimson Rivers" (2000), a thriller with Jean Reno and Vicent Cassel. If you liked Jean Reno in "Leon" (1994), you should definitely watch "La Femme Nikita" (1990, Luc Besson, same director from "Leon" and "The Fifth Element"), where his character in "Leon" came from. Re other special agent films, I'd recommend "The Eiger Sanction" (1975), with Clint Eastwood.
Sam says: "Whenever there's doubt, there's no doubt", that's the premise for this movie.
Nice reaction - definitive film of 47 Ronin is Mizoguchi from 30s - the title Ronin suggests this is a McGuffin film, w these highly trained professionals going thru the motions bereft of a sense of purpose - many 90s thrillers depict free-lance intelligence agents who'd been downsized as the Cold War ended - nobody does car chases like Frankenheimer, known for political thrillers like Manchurian Candidate; Burning Season is his best - this was DeNiro's Samurai phase, w roles like this and Heat
- in the 70s he was this crazy-daring artist almost supernaturally gifted; in the 80s he was this supernaturally dedicated protean figure who literally re-sculpted himself w each role; in the 90s he was this supernaturally focused professional; after that he grew a lot less selective
- what's in the briefcase? It's a classic McGuffin, simply an element in an equation, designed to be a catalyst for the plot - its mystery is the key running joke in this film - it represents the whole sense of Purpose for all these characters putting themselves thru such stress, and for what? In a way, IMO the punchline is that the case is in fact empty - and they've been going thru all this for nothing
- because that's how they all feel about themselves and their lives, pointing again to the title - and so what keeps them going? It's a kind of Faith - lots of 90s films about a kind of Existential professionalism in general - people who've grown cynical and demoralized and disillusioned w the world in general and the Establishment in particular, who feel this emptiness of having no motivation, of not caring about what they're doing anymore, who keep going just thru sheer momentum and mechanical willpower
Jean Reno and DeNiro are shown as members of the same species - nostalgic for the Cold War when they felt their elaborate skills were working towards some larger Cause - the Cause has disappeared, but they bond over the shared Memories and cling to the Ethos -
- in a way, the mood was like ppl who'd lost their Faith, and are asking themselves why they keep going to Church - the perfect action-thriller image of this is a Ronin chasing some random McGuffin - other excellent films that touch on this theme and 90s miasma include In the Line of Fire and the superb Deep Cover
@zmani4379, Very well considered remarks all the way through!!! Kudos for mentioning Deep Cover, a movie virtually ignored by reactors.
That’s awesome you guys checked this one out! Such a great flick!
During the car chase, the second tunnel they enter is the one Princess Diana was killed in. Diana's car also hit those center columns.
14:00 That was so aggressive. Nice 😅
The Car Chase Scenes:
80 Cars crashed (destroyed)
150 stunt people involved in these scenes
All stunts - as far as I know - were filmed without CGI
Great Movie - one of my all time favs.
Have a good time all of you
Greetings from Europe 🙂
Very real
As a car guy I LOVED this movie. After 'Jackie Chan: Who am I' this was the 2nd DVD I ever purchased. Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgård, Jean Reno, Bob DiNiro, Natascha McElhone. Awesome!
One of the most interesting fan theory I've heard is the case contains the printing plate for the euro.
The man in the wheelchair reference is from the Bourne Identity series. His name is Chernak, a mercenary, who Jason Bourne kills.
Awesome reaction and one of my favorite action films from the nineties. Fantastic cast, brilliant action scenes and phenomenal pacing. It’s a complex film that doesn’t hold your hand and is like a seventies era crime thriller.
It was around the time of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. The reason for targeting Seamus is he was a hardliner who was a roadblock to the peace being successful.
Seamus was on the run and needed Deirdre to run the operation. He wanted the case to increase his standing, he hadn't got the money to pay the team, so he was always going to double cross them.
Fun Fact: the Merc was the directors own car.
Also there were deleted scenes for the ending where Deirdre does return to the cafe and gets abducted by Seamus's associates for double crossing him.
Sean Bean lives!
I think he dies off screen. No loose ends for the Irishman.
The guy who helped Vincent when Sam got shot, was the main villian in MoonRaker
"Perfectly messy movie" - you can attribute that to David Mamet's screenplay. He loves to leave the audience guessing until the very end. I'm so glad to see a reaction to this, one of my favorite movies.
The tunnels were highways under Paris. The movie was released very soon after Princess Diana's death in one of these tunnels. The crashes in the car chase were so similar, the movie was pulled from some theaters.
Also, if you love the car chase, this one is up there with the one in "To Live and Die in L.A." I'd love to see you react to that one.
#title "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight" (1995)
Stars:
William Sadler (of Die Hard 2)
Jada Pinkett-Smith (A Low Down Dirty Shame)
Billy Zane (of Titanic, and Dead Calm)
Thomas Haden Church ("Sandman" of the MCU)
CCH Pounder (of Avatar)
Charles Fleischer (of Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Seamus was the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones.
11:12 nice. 👍🏼😆
Thanks so much for this. Criminally underrated. One of my fave action pics.
Great set pieces, some great dialogue.
Glad to see your Patreon members have great taste.