Plot: What’s it about?
In Paris, a small, nondescript bar is home to a very important meeting, as a group of government agents from around the world has been summoned. These men have seen better days, but each one has special skills that are valuable enough to warrant attention. The meeting was called by Dierdre (Natascha McElhone), an Irish woman who has a mission in mind, one she wishes to hire the men to fulfill. She has been contracted to hire the crew and oversee the mission however, the men are in the dark as far as their actual employer. The men also keep their fellow hires in the dark about things, using no full names and very little background information. The mission is to take possession of a case, an item that will not be given over without a fight. The case is held by armed, well trained professionals, so the mission will not be simple or safe. The plan is to set up an ambush, catch the men off guard and make off with the case in the process. With the team members now in place, they begin to prepare, but then a rival group becomes known. One of the men, Sam (Robert De Niro) steps up to lead the group as they race against the rivals, sooner than expected and in a rushed situation. With the plan rushed into motion, will the group be able to succeed? And what’s in the box?
This is a movie is perhaps best known for the car chases involved, including one that has to be considered one of the best ever captured on film. Not lame, quick edit chases with obvious closed circuits or CG rendered crashes either, this is some milestone work. These sequences are dynamic, realistic and provide thrills like few others, this is the place to come for incredible car chases, no doubt it. But while Ronin is indeed most famous for those chases, there is much more to the film than those sequences. Ronin is not deep per se, but it offers more depth than most action movies. So you will be asked to use your brain a little, but don’t expect complex stuff, just enough to push us a little. The film’s visuals are impressive and not just in the action driven scenes, thanks to the dark and harsh design on hand. The order of the day here is realism, this looks like real life and that adds immersion, which so many films lack. Another crucial element here is the cast, as without such a gifted group, Ronin would be just another action movie. Robert De Niro leads the ensemble, with Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, and Natascha McElhone all on deck and in fine form. Ronin’s new Collector’s Edition has the same transfer and soundtrack as the previous disc, but does includes some new extras. Even so, unless you skipped the original release, this one doesn’t have that much to offer. But in any case, Ronin is a fun movie and is well worth a look, no matter which version you’re able to peruse.
Video: How does it look?
Ronin is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is the same transfer as the previous disc, which isn’t bad news, but it could be better. Back then, this transfer would be have been impressive, but even just a few years later, it has lost its luster. The print has some grain and debris, while I also saw more shimmers and haze than I would like. But there is also some good here, as colors look bright and natural and sharpness is more than solid. I don’t think this transfer is bad, but given that other recent re-releases have also been given new transfers, I suppose I expected the same here.
Audio: How does it sound?
Just as the transfer was the same as before, this is the same Dolby Digital 5.1 option we heard on the original release. The soundtrack is more consistent than the transfer, but some tweaks and perhaps a DTS remix could improve the performance a lot. The surrounds are used often and to effective ends, but the punch isn’t as deep as it could be. Not bad by any means, but we’ve been spoiled by some of the remixes out there and you can’t ignore the difference. The center channel is a tad thin at times, but the elements still come across well, just not the kind of presence we’d like. So once again, this is a solid soundtrack, but there is room to make the audio even better here. This release also includes French and Spanish language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The extras from the original release have been ported over, so both John Frankenheimer’s audio comments and the film’s alternate end sequence are here. As far as new stuff, unless you love interviews and brief looks into the production process, you’ll be disappointed. A host of interviews and short looks into the car chases, direction, score, and editing are found here. None run over eighteen minutes and some are quite short, so don’t expect in depth insights from these supplements.
