Overview
A team of mercenaries must navigate a web of deception to retrieve a valuable suitcase, but trust is a luxury they can't afford.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- paranoid
- propulsive
- action movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film’s ensemble performances, Robert De Niro’s lead presence, cinematography, and especially its car chases compelling despite a familiar and sometimes overextended plot.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The team’s entire operation centers on retrieving an important suitcase, while its unknown significance drives successive betrayals.
Sam, Vincent, and the other specialists operate as detached mercenaries whose skills cannot guarantee loyalty or safety.
The film’s extended car chases through French streets and highways are central set pieces praised for their staging and cinematography.
Deirdre’s team repeatedly questions who is cooperating, who is betraying them, and who is pursuing the suitcase for a separate agenda.
Films like Ronin, and why
Le Samouraï
shares neo-noir espionage, mercenary characters, terse professionalism, and morally ambiguous double-crosses
The Killer
shares international crime plotting, hard-edged action, professional killers, and an emotionally restrained tone
Heat
shares ensemble heist mechanics, shifting loyalties, paranoia, and tactical criminal professionalism
The Transporter
shares French-set crime action, charismatic specialists, intricate betrayals, and kinetic pursuit sequences
Movie Details
- Director
- John Frankenheimer
- Release Date
- 1998-09-25
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (2800)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Jean Reno
- Natascha McElhone
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Skipp Sudduth
- Jonathan Pryce
- Sean Bean
- Michael Lonsdale
- Féodor Atkine
- Katarina Witt
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ronin about?
- An elite team of hired specialists races across France to secure a mysterious suitcase while betrayal turns every ally into a potential enemy.
- What is Ronin like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ronin as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ronin violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Ronin as moderate.
- What did critics think of Ronin?
- Critics broadly found the film’s ensemble performances, Robert De Niro’s lead presence, cinematography, and especially its car chases compelling despite a familiar and sometimes overextended plot.
- Which films are like Ronin?
- Films with a similar feel include Le Samouraï, The Killer, Heat, and The Transporter.
- How long is Ronin?
- Ronin runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ronin?
- In United States, Ronin streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
