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Ronin(film)

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Not to be confused with47 Ronin.

Ronin
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Frankenheimer
Screenplay by
Story byJ.D. Zeik
Produced byFrank Mancuso Jr.
Starring
CinematographyRobert Fraisse
Edited byTony Gibbs
Music byElia Cmiral
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM Distribution Co.[2]
Release dates
Running time
121 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States[4]
LanguageEnglish[3]
Budget$55 million[5]
Box office$70.7 million[5]

Roninis a 1998 Americanaction thriller filmdirected byJohn Frankenheimerand written by John David Zeik andDavid Mamet,under the pseudonym Richard Weisz. It stars anensemble castconsisting ofRobert De Niro,Jean Reno,Natascha McElhone,Stellan Skarsgård,Sean Bean,andJonathan Pryce.The film is about a team of former special operatives hired to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded briefcase while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties. The film was praised for its realistic car chases inNiceandParis.

Frankenheimer signed to direct Zeik's screenplay, which Mamet rewrote to expand De Niro's role and develop plot details, in 1997. The film was photographed byRobert Fraissein his native France from November 3, 1997, to March 3, 1998. Professional racing car drivers coordinated and performed the vehicle stunts, andElia Cmiralscored the film, his first for a major studio.

Roninpremiered at the1998 Venice Film Festivalbefore its general release on September 25. Critics were generally positive about the film's action,casting,and technical aspects, while the plot attracted criticism. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $70.7 million on a $55 million budget.Ronin,Frankenheimer's last well-received feature film,[6]was considered to be a return to form for the director. Film critic and historianStephen Princecalled the film Frankenheimer's "end-of-career masterpiece".[7]The car chases, which were favorably compared with those inBullittandThe French Connection,[8][9]were included on several media outlets' lists as among the best depicted on film.

Plot

[edit]

At a bistro inMontmartre,IRAoperative Deirdre meets with two Americans, Sam and Larry, and a Frenchman, Vincent. She takes them to a warehouse where the Englishman Spence and the German Gregor are waiting. Conversations between the men show that they are all ex-government agents or ex-military-turned-mercenary. Deirdre briefs the group on their mission: to attack a heavily armed convoy and steal a large, metallic briefcase. Its contents are never revealed. The team's first task before the main mission is to acquire weapons; this turns into a setup. Although the team survives and they get the weapons, Spence is exposed as a fraud by Sam. He is dismissed by Deirdre and the others continue the mission. As the team prepares, Deirdre meets with her handler, Seamus O'Rourke, who tells her that theRussian mafiais bidding for the case and that the team must intervene so that they don't get it. During astakeout,Sam and Deirdre act on their mutual attraction.

Deirdre's team successfully ambushes the convoy atLa Turbieand pursues the survivors toNice.During the gunfight, Gregor steals the case and disappears. He negotiates selling it to the Russians, but his contact attempts to betray him. Gregor kills the contact, then has Mikhi — the Russian Mafioso in charge of the deal — agree to another meeting. The team tracks Gregor through one of Sam's oldCIAcontacts and corners him in theArles Amphitheatreduring his meeting with two of Mikhi's men. Sam chases Gregor; Gregor flees but is caught by Seamus. Deirdre and Vincent confront the two Russian hoods, causing a shootout. Sam arrives to help, killing one, but catches aricochetfrom the other when Vincent knocks away the henchman's gun in order to kill him. Seamus kills Larry and escapes with a reluctant Deirdre and the captured Gregor. Vincent takes Sam to a villa owned by his friend, Jean-Pierre. After removing the bullet and letting Sam recuperate, Jean-Pierre compares Sam's situation to thetale of the 47 Ronin.Vincent asks Jean-Pierre to help them find Gregor and the Irish operatives.

InParis,Gregor is persuaded through violent interrogation to give the case back to Seamus and Deirdre. After retrieving it from a post office, they are pursued by Sam and Vincent in a high-speed chase. Vincent shoots out their tire, sending their car off an overpass which is under construction. Gregor escapes with the case while road workers rescue Deirdre and Seamus from the burning vehicle. Doubtful of where to go next, Sam and Vincent decide to track down the Russians after discovering that the decoy case Gregor used in his theft of the original is used for carrying ice skates; one of Jean-Pierre's contacts informs them that the Russians are involved with figure-skater (and Mikhi's girlfriend) Natacha Kirilova, who is appearing atLe Zénith.

During Natacha's performance, Mikhi meets with Gregor, who says a sniper in the arena will shoot Natacha if Mikhi betrays him. Mikhi surprises Gregor by letting Natacha be killed by the sniper after Mikhi kills Gregor and takes the case. Amid the ensuing chaos from Natacha's shooting, Sam and Vincent leave the arena just in time to see Seamus kill Mikhi and steal the case. Sam and Vincent split up; Vincent pursues Seamus, but is wounded in a gunfight. Sam finds Deirdre waiting in a getaway car; he convinces her to leave after explaining that he is after Seamus, not the case. As she drives away, Seamus is forced to return to the arena as Sam gives chase. Seamus ambushes Sam, but is shot dead by Vincent before Seamus can kill Sam.

Sam and Vincent have coffee in the bistro where they first met. A radio broadcast announces that apeace agreementbetweenSinn Féinand theBritish governmenthas been reached, partially as a result of Seamus's death. Sam keeps glancing at the door as patrons enter, but Vincent convinces Sam that Deirdre will not be coming back. They shake hands and part ways; Sam drives off with his CIA contact as Vincent pays the bill and leaves.

Cast

[edit]
Top-billed cast ofRonin:(clockwise from top left) Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, Natascha McElhone and Jonathan Pryce
  • Robert De Niroas Sam, an American mercenary formerly associated with theCIA.[10]According to directorJohn Frankenheimer,De Niro "was always dream casting" for the film.[11]
  • Jean Renoas Vincent, a French gunman who befriends Sam.[12][13]Frankenheimer sought to establish the friendship between Reno's and De Niro's characters, which he considered pivotal to the story, and wanted to strengthen the off-screen bond between the actors.[11]
  • Natascha McElhoneas Deirdre, anIRAoperative commissioned to steal a briefcase by Seamus O'Rourke.[13][14]An on-set dialect coach helped McElhone speak with aNorthern Ireland accent.[11]McElhone said she was thrilled to play the role because she portrayed a character that moved the action forward.[15]
  • Stellan Skarsgårdas Gregor, a German computer specialist formerly associated with theKGB.[13]A fan of Skarsgård, Frankenheimer praised the Swedish actor for "bring[ing] so much to the role".[11]Skarsgård suggested Gregor had been abandoned by his wife and son, for which he became "quite suicidal and cold".[15]
  • Sean Beanas Spence, an Englishman who purports to be a firearms specialist formerly associated with theSAS.[8][16]During production, Frankenheimer did not know what the future held for the character and considered having him killed off-screen after the team drives out of the warehouse, or snatched from a Paris street into a van driven by the IRA. Ultimately, he had Spence dismissed from the team.[11]Bean described the character as egotistic and "a little bit out of his depth".[15]
  • Jonathan Pryceas Seamus O'Roarke, a rogue operative in pursuit of the case through Deirdre.[13][14]Like McElhone, the Welshman Pryce was coached to hone his Northern Irish accent.[11]
  • Skipp Sudduthas Larry, another American and the team's designated driver.[16]Sudduth, who had appeared in Frankenheimer'sGeorge Wallace(1997),[17]performed most of his character's driving stunts.[11]
  • Michael Lonsdaleas Jean-Pierre, Vincent's friend and colleague whose pastime is creatingminiatures.[18]Frankenheimer intended to make the character a miniature artist, partially due to his own love of creating miniatures.[11]The film was Lonsdale's third collaboration with Frankenheimer.[17]
  • Jan Triskaas the dapper gent, the first Russian to try and kill Gregor for the case

In addition,Féodor Atkineplays Mikhi, the Russian who is buying the case, while East German Olympic and World Champion figure skaterKatarina Witthas an extended cameo as Natacha Kirilova, a Russian Olympic and World Champion figure skater.

Production

[edit]
Roninwas the penultimate feature film of director John Frankenheimer (pictured in 1995), followed byReindeer Games.[19]

In July 1997,Varietyreported that Frankenheimer had signed to directRonin,making it his fifth picture forUnited Artists.[20]Frankenheimer told the magazine he chose the project because it had a "very good script" and was "the kind of movie I'd love to go see... What I like is, it's a character-driven action picture, and I have done those before, withBlack SundayandFrench Connection II.It's not one of theseCGIpictures, it's a film about people. It's not bigger than life, which I don't relate to that much. "[20]He also saw it as an opportunity to apply his broad knowledge and understanding of France, especiallyParis,in which he resided for many years.[11]He added, "I would not have been able to do the film nearly as well anywhere else".[15]His filmsThe Train(1964),Grand Prix(1966),Impossible Object(1973), andFrench Connection II(1975) were shot in France.[9]

Many ofRonin's principal crew members had worked with Frankenheimer on television films; editorTony GibbsonGeorge Wallace,set designer Michael Z. Hanan onGeorge WallaceandThe Burning Season(1994), and costume designer May Routh onAndersonville(1996).[21]Frankenheimer chose French cinematographerRobert Fraisseto help him achieve the look and style he wanted for the film. Fraisse impressed Frankenheimer with his work on the police thrillerCitizen X(1995), which persuaded the director Fraisse could handle the more-than-2,000 setups he planned forRonin.[9]Frank Mancuso Jr.served as the film's producer.[20]

According to Frankenheimer, French authorities helped him circumvent a strict Paris ordinance that prohibited film productions from firing guns in the city. This was enacted because many civilians had been complaining about the gunfire noise produced by film shoots. Additional factors influenced the decision; officials' desire for an American action film likeRonin,few of which had been filmed there since the law was passed, to be filmed in Paris and the desire to boost France's reputation as a filming location.[11]

Screenplay

[edit]

Writer John David Zeik, a newcomer to film,[22]conceived the idea forRoninafter readingJames Clavell's novelShōgunat the age of 15.[21]It gave him background information onrōnin(masterless samurai), which he incorporated into a screenplay years later. On choosing France as the story's key location, Zeik said: "Many years later in Nice, the location of one of the key set pieces of the story, I stared into the sun and saw the silhouettes of five heavily armedGendarmescrossing thePromenade des Anglais.That image made me realize that I wanted to set the film in France. "[21]

Accounts differ as to the screenplay's authorship. According to Zeik's attorney, PlaywrightDavid Mametwas brought in shortly before production to expand De Niro's role and add a female love interest. Although Mamet rewrote several scenes, his contributions were minor according to Zeik's account. Frankenheimer said Mamet's contributions were more significant: "The credits should read: 'Story by J.D. Zeik, screenplay by David Mamet'. We didn't shoot a line of Zeik's script."[22]Frankenheimer later retracted this in a September 1998open letterpublished inVariety,writing that "J.D. Zeik is unequivocally entitled to the first position screenwriting credit as well as the sole story credit he was awarded by theWGA... [He] deserves recognition for his significant contribution to this film, and I am proud to have worked with him ".[23]When he learned he would have to share credit with Zeik, Mamet insisted on being credited with the pseudonym Richard Weisz because he had earlier decided to attach his name only to projects for which he was the sole writer.[22]

Filming and cinematography

[edit]
Boarded-up corner building
Facade of aMontmartrebistro in 2011. Because the building was empty, the crew constructed an interior set seen from the stairs.[9][24]

Roninwas produced on a budget of $55 million.[5]Principal photographylasted 78 days,[9]beginning on November 3, 1997, in an abandoned workshop atAubervilliers.[25]Scenes atPorte des Lilasand the historicArles Amphitheatrewere filmed that November; the crew then filmed at theHotel MajesticinCannes,La Turbie,andVillefranche.[25]Production was suspended for Christmas on December 19 and resumed on January 5, 1998, atÉpinay,where the crew built two interior sets onsound stages;one for the bistro inMontmartreand another for the rural farmhouse,[25]both of which also have exterior location shots.[11]The climactic scene with a panicked crowd atLe Zénithrequired about 2,000extras,who were supervised by French casting director Margot Capelier.[11]Filming concluded atLa Défenseon March 3, 1998.[25]

Because there were nosecond unitdirector and camera operator to film the action scenes, Frankenheimer and cinematographer Robert Fraisse supervised them for an additional 30 days after the main unit finished filming.[9][26]The first major car-chase scene was shot inLa Turbieand Nice; the rest were filmed in areas of Paris including La Défense and thePont du Garigliano.[25][27]Scenes set in a road tunnel were filmed at night because it was impossible to block tunnel traffic during the day.[28]The freeway chase, in which the actors dodge oncoming vehicles, was filmed in four hours on a closed road.[28]

Frankenheimer's affinity for deepdepth of fieldled him to shoot the film entirely withwide-angle lensesranging infocal lengthfrom 18 to 35 mm using theSuper 35format, both of which allow more of the scene to be included in each shot as well as the freedom to reframe the movie forFull Screenpresentation.[11][24]The director also avoided bright primary colors to preserve afirst-generation-of-filmquality.[11]He advised the actors and extras not to wear bright colors and had the film processed withDeluxe'sColor Contrast Enhancement(CCE), "a silver-retention method of processing film that deepens blacks, reduces color, and heightens the visible appearance of film grain".[11][29]Fraisse said he used a variety of cameras, includingPanaflexesfor dialogue scenes andArriflex 435sand 35-IIIs for the car chases, to facilitate Frankenheimer's demands.[9]Steadicam,a camera stabilizer used for half of the shoot, was operated by the director's longtime collaborator David Crone.[9]According to Frankenheimer, 2,200 shots were filmed.[11]

Stunts

[edit]
Older red four-door sedan
TheMercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9was Frankenheimer's favorite Mercedes model due to its appearance and "great, big powerful engine", and he used it as the protagonist's car inRonin'sfirst major car chase.[11]

Frankenheimer avoided using special effects in the car-chase scenes,previsualizingthem withstoryboardsand used the same camera mounts as those used onGrand Prix.[11]The actors were placed inside the cars while being driven at up to 100 mph (160 km/h), byFormula OnedriverJean-Pierre Jarier,and high-performance drivers Jean-Claude Lagniez and Michel Neugarten.[9]The actors had enrolled at a high-performance driving school before production began.[11]According to Lagniez, the car-stunt coordinator, it was a priority not to cheat the speed by adjusting theframe rate;he said, "When you do, it affects the lighting. It is different at 20 frames than at 24 frames."[28]However, Fraisse said: "Sometimes, but not very often, we did shoot at 22 frames per second, or 21."[9]Point-of-view shotsfrom cameras mounted below the cars' frontfenderwere used to deliver a heightened sense of speed.[11][30]

For the final chase scene, which used 300 stunt drivers,[11]the production team bought fourBMW 535isand fivePeugeot 406s;[a]one of each was cut in half and towed by aMercedes-Benz 500 Ewhile the actors were inside them.[11]Right-hand drive versions of the cars were also purchased; a dummy steering wheel was installed on the left side while the stunt drivers drove the speeding vehicles.[11][28]The final chase had very little music because Frankenheimer thought music and sound effects do not blend well. Sound engineerMike Le Marerecorded all of the film's cars on a racetrack, mixing them later in post-production.[11]

Frankenheimer refused to film the gunfights inslow motion,believing onscreen violence should be depicted in real time.[11]Mick Gould, the film's technical advisor and a former instructor in the advanced training wings of theSpecial Air Service,trained the cast in weapons-handling and guerilla military tactics.[21][32]The physical stunts were coordinated by Joe Dunne.[2]

Alternative endings

[edit]

Frankenheimer filmed two additional versions of the film's ending. In the first, Deirdre (McElhone) waits on the stairs next to the bistro and considers joining Sam (De Niro) and Vincent (Reno). Deciding against it, she walks up the stairs. As she gets into her car, IRA men drag her into a van and call her a traitor; it is implied that she is later killed. Sam and Vincent, unaware of Deidre's abduction, finish their conversation and depart. Although Frankenheimer said the test audience "hated" the ending because they did not want to see Deirdre die, he thought it "really worked".[11]In the second ending, Deirdre walks to her car after Sam and Vincent leave the bistro; this ending was also rejected because it verged on being "too Hollywood", hinting at a sequel. Frankenheimer yielded to the test audience's response with a compromise ending; he said, "with the tremendous investment MGM/UA had in this movie, you have to kind of listen to the audience".[11]

Music

[edit]

Jerry Goldsmithwas originally commissioned to compose the score forRoninbut left the project.[33][34]MGM executive vice-president for music Michael Sandoval assembled anA-listto replace Goldsmith.[33]From Sandoval's three choices, Frankenheimer hired Czech composerElia Cmíral,[11][33]who said he "was far away from being even a 'B' composer at that time".[34]Cmíral attended a private screening of the film's final version and considered its main theme, which at Frankenheimer's behest would incorporate qualities of "sadness, loneliness, and heroism".[33]To achieve this, Cmíral performed with theduduk,an ancient,double-reedwoodwindflute that originated inArmenia.[35]Cmíral sent a demonstration to Frankenheimer, who "loved" it, and was signed as the film's composer.[33]Cmíral's piece "Ronin Theme" was used for the opening scenes.[33][36]

Cmíral's score forRonin,his first for amajor film studio,[35]was recorded in seven weeks at CTS Studio in London.[33][36]It was orchestrated and conducted byNick Ingman,edited byMike Flicker,and recorded and mixed byJohn Whynot.[33]Varèse Sarabandereleased the soundtrack album oncompact discin September 1998.[36]ForAllMusic,Jason Ankeny rated the album 4.5 out of 5 and called it a "profoundly visceral listening experience, illustrating an expert grasp of pacing and atmosphere".[36]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Roninhad its world premiere at the1998 Venice Film Festivalon September 12,[37]before a wide release on September 25.[38]Roninfared moderately well at the box office;[39]it was the second-highest-grossing film in the United States during its opening weekend, grossing $16.7 million behind the action-comedyRush Hour's $26.7 million, at 2,643 locations.[40]The film dropped to fifth place on its second weekend and to seventh on its third, grossing $7.2 million and $4.7 million, respectively, at 2,487 locations.[41]It dropped further until its sixth weekend, when it grossed $1.1 million (13th place) at 1,341 locations.[41]The film ended its theatrical run with a gross of $41.6 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $70.7 million worldwide.[5][38]Roninwas 1998's 11th-highest-grossingR-ratedfilm.[42]

Critical response

[edit]

Critical reception toRoninwas favorable;[16]critics praised its ensemble cast, with many singling out Robert De Niro.[2][10][43][44]Todd McCarthyinVarietycredited De Niro with sustaining the film[2]but a reviewer from theChicago Readerdisagreed.[45]The film's action scenes, particularly the car chases, were generally praised;[2][16]Janet MaslininThe New York Timescalled them "nothing short of sensational".[44]These scenes were criticized byThe Washington Postfor their length[12]and by McCarthy for their excessivejump cuts.[2]Robert Fraisse's cinematography was routinely praised;[2][10]Michael Wilmington in theChicago Tribunecalled it superficially attractive and entertaining.[46]Although the plot was criticized by theChicago Readeras dull andThe Washington Postas derivative,[12][45]Wilmington called it a "familiar but taut tale".[46]Some reviewers singled out the espionage scene in which De Niro and Natascha McElhone pose as tourists and photograph their targets at a Cannes hotel as one of the film's best.[2][12]

Critics also evaluated Frankenheimer because the broad acclaim he received with the political thrillerThe Manchurian Candidate(1962) established him as a director.[10][43][46]Many said he was influenced by the works of fellow filmmaker and close friendJean-Pierre Melville,particularly Melville'sneo-noirfilmLe Samouraï(1967),[39][47]but McCarthy wrote thatRoninlacks Melville's "world-weary, existential ennui".[2]The film was considered to be a return to form for Frankenheimer,[19][48]whoseEmmy Awardsfor the television filmsAgainst the Wall(1994),The Burning Season,AndersonvilleandGeorge Wallacehad resurrected his career, after it lost momentum during the 1970s and 1980s due to the director's alcohol addiction.[6][10]Roninwas Frankenheimer's last well-received feature film;[6]Wilmington called it the director's best theatrical film in decades despite lackingThe Manchurian Candidate's"blazing invention",[46]andStephen Princecalled the film his "end-of-career masterpiece".[7]Prince wrote:

WithRonin,Frankenheimer vindicated his cinematic talents and aesthetic preferences. The film is stylistically bonded with the principles of his work as found in the earliest and best period of his career. Its aesthetic of realism places it withGrand Prix,The Train,andThe Gypsy Moths,and its minimalist conception of character and narrative detail bonds it to those productions as well. Frankenheimer had not lost his touch as a filmmaker, far from it.Roninis smart, sharp, and witty, and it shows a greater facility for visual storytelling than most films made today, by younger directors, can muster.[7]

Post-release

[edit]

Home media

[edit]

In February 1999,MGM Home EntertainmentreleasedRoninas a double-sidedDVDthat contained versions inwidescreenandfull screenformats, andDolby Digital 5.1sound.[49]The DVD also contains thealternative endingand an audio commentary by John Frankenheimer, who discusses the film's production history.[50]MGM released aspecial editionDVD of the film in October 2004 and a two-disc collector's edition in May 2006, both of which have additional cast and crew interviews.[49]

It was released onBlu-raywith its theatrical trailer in February 2009.[51]In August 2017,Arrow Videoreleased a special edition Blu-ray with a4K resolutionrestoration from theoriginal camera negativethat was supervised and approved by cinematographer Robert Fraisse.[52]Arrow's Blu-ray also includes archival bonus features that originally appeared on the MGM special edition DVD,[53]together with Fraisse talking about his early cinematography career and his involvement withRonin.[54]

Cinematic analysis

[edit]
Old drawing of warriors attacking a building
The 18th-century Japanese revenge of the forty-sevenrōninwas the film's central metaphor.[18]

The film's title was derived from the Japanese legend ofrōnin,samurai whoseleaderwas killed and left them with no one to serve, and roamed the countryside as mercenaries and bandits to regain a sense of purpose.[55]In Frankenheimer's film, therōninare former intelligence operatives who are unemployed at the end of the Cold War; devoid of purpose, they become highly-paid mercenaries.Michael Lonsdale's character elaborates on the analogy in an anecdote about theforty-sevenrōnintold withminiatures,comparing the film's characters to the 18th-centuryrōninof Japan.[56]In his essay, "Action and Abstraction inRonin",Stephen Princewrote that therōninmetaphor explores themes of "service, honor, and obligation to complex ways by showing that service may entail betrayal and that honor may be measured according to disparate terms".[57]According to Stephen B. Armstrong, "Arguably Frankenheimer uses this story to highlight and contrast the moral and social weakness that characterize the band ofrōninin his film ".[55]

The film features aMacGuffinplot device in the form of a briefcase, the contents of which are important but unknown.[13][46]Chicago Sun-TimescriticRoger Ebertwrote that its content is identical to that of the equally-mysterious case inQuentin Tarantino'sPulp Fiction(1994),[43]also a MacGuffin.[58]Michael Wilmington of theChicago TribunecalledRoninan homage toThe French Connection(1971),The Parallax View(1974), andThree Days of the Condor(1975); thriller films known for their lack of visual effects.[46]Maitland McDonaghofTV Guidealso compared the film toThe Day of the Jackal(1973)[14]and noted similarities betweenRonin's opening scene and that of Tarantino'sReservoir Dogs(1992), in which a group of professional killers who have not met before assemble.[46]According to Armstrong, the film's plot observes the conventions ofheist films.[55]

Frankenheimer employed ahyperrealisticaesthetic in his films "to make them look realer than real, because reality by itself can be very boring", and saw them as having a tinge ofsemi-documentary.[11]He creditedGillo Pontecorvo'sThe Battle of Algiers(1966), a film he considered flawless and more influential than any other he had seen, with inspiring this style.[11]According to Prince, "Frankenheimer's success at working in this realist style, avoiding special effects trickery, places the car chase inRoninin the same rarefied class as the celebrated chase inBullitt(1968) ".[59]The director credited the Russian filmThe Cranes Are Flying(1957) with inspiringinvisible cutsinRonin.On the film's DVD audio commentary, Frankenheimer notes awipeduring the opening scenes made by two extras walking across the frame, which becomes atracking shotof Jean Reno entering the bistro. His intention for the cut was to conceal the fact that the bistro's interior was a set; its exterior was filmed on location.[11]

Legacy

[edit]

Modern reception

[edit]

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,70% of 73 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Roninearns comparisons toThe French Connectionwith strong action, dynamic road chase scenes, and solid performances. "[60]In 2019, Rotten Tomatoes' Alex Vo rankedRoninNo. 101 on his list of the "140 Essential Action Movies To Watch Now".[61]Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[62]

Ronin'scar chases were included on several media outlets' lists of the best depicted on film, includingCNN(No. 2),[63]Time(No. 12),[64]Fandango(No. 6),[65]Complex(No. 25),[66]The Daily Telegraph(No. 10),[67]PopMatters(No. 9),[68]IGN(No. 9),[69]Screen Rant(No. 8),[70]Business Insider(No. 3),[71]Consequence of Sound(No. 6),[72]andCollider.[73]Some critics have said the chase scenes inMission: Impossible – Fallout(2018) were influenced by those inRonin.[74][75]Screen Rant rankedRoninNo. 1 on its list of the "12 Best Action Movies You've Never Heard Of".[76]In 2014,Time Outpolled several film critics, directors, actors, and stunt actors about their top action films;[77]Roninwas 72nd on the list.[78]Pastemagazine ranked the film at No. 10 on its list of the "25 Best Movies of 1998".[79]Roninwas included in the film reference book101 Action Movies You Must See Before You Die.[80]

Video games

[edit]

Ronininfluenced the conception of the action video gamesBurnout[b]andAlpha Protocol.[83]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^In the DVD commentary, Frankenheimer says four BMWs and five Peugeots were purchased for the chase scene,[11]namely the BMW 535i and Peugeot 406.[31]
  2. ^Alex Ward, the creator ofBurnout,said the inspiration for theracing gamewas the DVD version's 15th chapter,[81]which is titled "Crashing the Case," and shows a crash between two opposing cars.[82]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Ronin (1998)".British Film Institute.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2017.RetrievedDecember 11,2017.
  2. ^abcdefghiMcCarthy, Todd(September 14, 1998)."Review: 'Ronin'".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2017.RetrievedJuly 29,2015.
  3. ^ab"Ronin (15)".British Board of Film Classification.Archivedfrom the original on September 27, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 27,2017.
  4. ^"Ronin (1998)".American Film Institute.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
  5. ^abcd"Ronin (1998)".The Numbers.Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 28,2017.
  6. ^abc"John Frankenheimer: Biography".Turner Classic Movies.Turner Broadcasting System(Time Warner).Archivedfrom the original on June 14, 2018.RetrievedMarch 27,2018.
  7. ^abcPomerance & Palmer 2011,p. 87.
  8. ^abKeeling, Robert (April 16, 2018)."Looking back at Ronin".Den of Geek!.United Kingdom:Dennis Publishing.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2018.RetrievedMay 8,2018.
  9. ^abcdefghijMagid, Ron (October 1998)."Samurai Tactics".American Cinematographer.p. 1.ISSN0002-7928.Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2017.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  10. ^abcdeTravers, Peter(September 25, 1998)."Ronin".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on September 30, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 29,2017.
  11. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafRonin(audio commentary).MGM Home Entertainment.{{cite AV media notes}}:Unknown parameter|people=ignored (help)
  12. ^abcdO'Sullivan, Michael (September 25, 1998)."Run-of-the-Mill 'Ronin'".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 29,2017.
  13. ^abcdePomerance & Palmer 2011,p. 79.
  14. ^abcMcDonagh, Maitland."Ronin".TV Guide.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2017.RetrievedDecember 19,2017.
  15. ^abcdJohn Frankenheimer et al. (2004).Ronin: Filming in the Fast Lane(featurette). MGM Home Entertainment.
  16. ^abcdArmstrong 2008,p. 157.
  17. ^ab"Ronin:The Casting ".Cinema Review.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2002.RetrievedMay 8,2018.
  18. ^abPomerance & Palmer 2011,p. 82.
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