Ronin |
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Last Update: 25 October 2000 (You need a browser capable of viewing tables to see this page properly) |
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Ronin, which is Japanese for "masterless samurai", deals with a group of former intelligence agents who have lost their way in the post-Cold War environment. They're hired by an unknown person to perform a job as a private contractor of sorts, only to realize that the purpose of the operation is to kill them because they know too much. With elements of The Magnificient Seven, Ronin is really a character piece that revolves around the history of each member of the team, examining their morality (or lack thereof) and how they reconcile what they did for the American, British and French governments, especially in the face of their current situation. |
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It all begins with a meeting in a warehouse in Paris, arranged by Deidre (Natascha McElhone from Surviving Picasso), an ex-Irish terrorist who has recruited five hired men to locate a mysterious briefcase. "It's something I want that others are holding on to," she says. Each member of the team has a speciality: Spence, the arms expert; Larry, the driver; Gregor, the electronics ace; the enigmatic Sam, and all of them are framed around Vincent, ex-agent of French Information. There are epic chases on the high ground around Nice, bloody gun fights at the arena at Arles, and traps along the banks of the Seine in this game of cat and mouse. A number of scenes were also filmed in the studios at Epinay. The international cast includes skater Katerina Witt as a figure skating champion who is the mistress of a Russian mob leader; and Jonathan Pryce as an Irish terrorist. Ronin was filmed during four month shoot beginning in November 1997 in France. It had its World Premiere at the 55th Venice Film Festival on September 12, 1998 and its North American premiere in Los Angeles on September 23, 1998. Some trivia: Sean's infamous "not feeling well" scene following the car chase was accomplished with the help of liberal mouthfuls of Cream of Vegetable soup. When asked how it tasted, Sean reportedly replied, "Quite good!" |
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Robert de Niro ........ Sam Sean Bean ............. Spence Jonathan Pryce ........ Seamus Jean Reno ............. Vincent Natascha McElhone ..... Dierdre Stellan Skarsgard ..... Gregor Katarina Witt ......... Natacha Skip Suddeth .......... Larry |
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PRODUCTION CREDITS: Executive Producer ................................. Paul Kelmenson Produced by ........................................ Frank Mancuso Jr. .................................................... United Artists Directed by ........................................ John Frankenheimer Written by ......................................... Richard Weisz Screenplay by ...................................... J.D. Zeik World Premiere ..................................... September 12, 1998 (Venice) Rating ............................................. R (for language and violence) Release Date (US) .................................. September 25, 1998 Release Date (UK) .................................. November 20, 1998 |
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