I love this movie. While not as "flashy" as other crime thrillers, it's interesting to see one in such a different location. The car chases are done very well, and Jean Reno and Deniro's character have great chemistry. Looking forward to your thoughts on it. :)
If you liked this, then you should also try these: "The Peacemaker" (1997) "The November Man" (2014) "La Femme Nikita" (1990 original) "Where Eagles Dare" (1968) "The Eiger Sanction" (1975) "Breakheart Pass" (1975) "Three Days of the Condor" (1975) "Day of the Jackal" (1973)
"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt. That's the first thing they teach you." "Who taught you?" "I don't remember. That's the second thing they teach you." Fun Fact: A total of 80 automobiles were destroyed during filming. Action Star Fact: Skipp Sudduth requested to do his own stunt driving during the car chases and John Frankenheimer agreed. Frankenheimer told Sudduth: "I don't wanna see any brake lights." Gun Enthusiast Fact: In the scene where Sam (Robert De Niro) is shot and has the bullet removed, he says the bullet was Teflon-coated, which is why it penetrated the vest. Such bullets were sold in the U.S. until they earned the reputation of "cop killers" and subsequently taken off the market. The Fall Guy Fact: 300 stunt drivers were employed to give the final chase scene the required amount of metal-crunching realism. To make it look like Robert De Niro and Natascha McElhone were actually driving during the car chase, right-hand-drive cars were used, with the passenger side made to mirror the real controls. The cast members then mimicked the stunt drivers' movements. Automobile Enthusiast Fact: The brown Mercedes Benz used by Vincent (Jean Reno) and Sam (Robert De Nero) is a rare, high performance 450 SEL 6.9 version of the W116 S-Class. The 6.9 badge refers to the car's engine size of 6.9litres and in the late 70's it was the fastest and one of the most expensive saloon cars money could buy. Only around 7000 were made over a 6 year production run. Historical Fact: Some radio news including BBC and CNN report about the end of the hostilities between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after decades of bloody fight caused by the IRA (acronym for Irish Republican Army) which used terrorist tactics as protest for the British invasion on Irish's ground. Since that it addresses about the real-life IRA's ceasefire happened on July 19, 1997 (this movie was filmed from November 3, 1997 to March 3, 1998) for ending with a conflict started during 1969 Northern Ireland's riots, and the radio news add that a strong reason for this ceasefire is the capture and killing of Seamus O'Rourke (Jonathan Pryce) which had been reported by IRA's staff as dissident, it turns all the movie in a fictional secret operation to sure the end of IRA's conflict. It's confirmed by Sam's revelation to Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) that he still is a CIA's agent and he's there not for the silver briefcase but Seamus O'Rourke, implying too that the briefcase's content would avoided IRA's ceasefire.
Only 80 vehicles?? ;) I can't imagine what coordination it took to pull all of those scenes off!! And I thought the whole Ireland conflict idea was really close to reality. That part of the plot fit very well with a realistic narrative! Thanks for the fun facts!!!
Before Wick, there was Bourne, but before Bourne, there was Ronin. Dinero was great in many films, Dear Hunter, Heat, Taxi Driver, etc., etc, but should not overlook, The Mission, with Liam Neeson, and Jeremy Irons. 3 Days of the Condor, with Redford, Dunaway and Max Von Sydow is also a fun spy thriller as well.
I liked the looks of that AUDI so much that I finally got one as a daily driver once I found one with reasonable mileage. Nice reaction that highlighted things I'd forgotten... Thank you...
Great Reaction to this Thrill-Ride....... Sad Fact: The release of this movie was delayed, due to the fact that after filming the car-chase scene through Paris, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in the same tunnel that is part of the chase..... Kool Fact: I have a picture of me (taken in 1990) in Nice in front of that Merry-Go-Round they walk past when approaching the Hotel.........
Oof. I tried not to think too much about Diana and those tunnels! Nice looks nice. I have a picture of me in front of the memorial above the tunnel of Diana's crash. I think the Merry-Go-Round is much happier!!
Oh, that was an accident and it totally bothered me too. I'm not sure why the voice filter I use suddenly turned everyone into a bass. lol Thanks for your patience!
Thank you. The idea of the Ronin spoken of in the movie, and illustrated in the tale of the revenge of the forty-seven rōnin, is an idealised notion of honour and duty from eighteenth century Japan. It holds that duty to your Lord is supreme over all other considerations even the death of your Lord or your self. Most commentators from the eighteenth century on considered the forty-seven failures believing that they should have killed themselves on their Lord's death. The forty-seven held that their duty to their Lord, and their duty to kill his enemy, was greater than the dictates of their own honour. Sam is obviously the titular Ronin, cast out, and one suspects as the saying goes, disavowed by the C.I.A., yet still he is working for them. He holds to the same sense of duty that the forty-seven held, to hunt down and kill the C.I.A.'s enemy - though he is no longer employed by them - the Irish man. He does this even as he is a mercenary, employed to recover a "case" by the faction led by the same Irishman. I hope this wasn't utterly obvious.
No, actually the concept can almost get too complex if you over think it, so having it laid out is helpful. I think the entire concept of the Ronin and how it is only used in the opening and then in the explanation scene is quite clever all by itself. This movie is an onion with many layers!!
Gregor sort of calmly putting his seatbelt on at 27:36 was a fun detail for me. And it pays off for him too.
I love this movie. While not as "flashy" as other crime thrillers, it's interesting to see one in such a different location. The car chases are done very well, and Jean Reno and Deniro's character have great chemistry. Looking forward to your thoughts on it. :)
OMG the car chases through France. lololol That was INTENSE!!!!
If you liked this, then you should also try these:
"The Peacemaker" (1997)
"The November Man" (2014)
"La Femme Nikita" (1990 original)
"Where Eagles Dare" (1968)
"The Eiger Sanction" (1975)
"Breakheart Pass" (1975)
"Three Days of the Condor" (1975)
"Day of the Jackal" (1973)
Very cool! Thank you. I'll add them to the general watchlist as I have not seen any of them yet!
"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt. That's the first thing they teach you."
"Who taught you?"
"I don't remember. That's the second thing they teach you."
Fun Fact: A total of 80 automobiles were destroyed during filming.
Action Star Fact: Skipp Sudduth requested to do his own stunt driving during the car chases and John Frankenheimer agreed. Frankenheimer told Sudduth: "I don't wanna see any brake lights."
Gun Enthusiast Fact: In the scene where Sam (Robert De Niro) is shot and has the bullet removed, he says the bullet was Teflon-coated, which is why it penetrated the vest. Such bullets were sold in the U.S. until they earned the reputation of "cop killers" and subsequently taken off the market.
The Fall Guy Fact: 300 stunt drivers were employed to give the final chase scene the required amount of metal-crunching realism. To make it look like Robert De Niro and Natascha McElhone were actually driving during the car chase, right-hand-drive cars were used, with the passenger side made to mirror the real controls. The cast members then mimicked the stunt drivers' movements.
Automobile Enthusiast Fact: The brown Mercedes Benz used by Vincent (Jean Reno) and Sam (Robert De Nero) is a rare, high performance 450 SEL 6.9 version of the W116 S-Class. The 6.9 badge refers to the car's engine size of 6.9litres and in the late 70's it was the fastest and one of the most expensive saloon cars money could buy. Only around 7000 were made over a 6 year production run.
Historical Fact: Some radio news including BBC and CNN report about the end of the hostilities between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after decades of bloody fight caused by the IRA (acronym for Irish Republican Army) which used terrorist tactics as protest for the British invasion on Irish's ground. Since that it addresses about the real-life IRA's ceasefire happened on July 19, 1997 (this movie was filmed from November 3, 1997 to March 3, 1998) for ending with a conflict started during 1969 Northern Ireland's riots, and the radio news add that a strong reason for this ceasefire is the capture and killing of Seamus O'Rourke (Jonathan Pryce) which had been reported by IRA's staff as dissident, it turns all the movie in a fictional secret operation to sure the end of IRA's conflict. It's confirmed by Sam's revelation to Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) that he still is a CIA's agent and he's there not for the silver briefcase but Seamus O'Rourke, implying too that the briefcase's content would avoided IRA's ceasefire.
Only 80 vehicles?? ;) I can't imagine what coordination it took to pull all of those scenes off!! And I thought the whole Ireland conflict idea was really close to reality. That part of the plot fit very well with a realistic narrative! Thanks for the fun facts!!!
You're welcome! Can't wait for your next video.
Go in Peace and Walk with God. 😎 👍
Before Wick, there was Bourne, but before Bourne, there was Ronin.
Dinero was great in many films, Dear Hunter, Heat, Taxi Driver, etc., etc, but should not overlook, The Mission, with Liam Neeson, and Jeremy Irons.
3 Days of the Condor, with Redford, Dunaway and Max Von Sydow is also a fun spy thriller as well.
The Roman arena is in Arle, France.
Ah, thanks!
I liked the looks of that AUDI so much that I finally got one as a daily driver once I found one with reasonable mileage. Nice reaction that highlighted things I'd forgotten... Thank you...
Loved it 👍
Me too and thanks!
The content of the case of the old Irish secret: MacGuffin.
LOL true!!!
Great Reaction to this Thrill-Ride.......
Sad Fact: The release of this movie was delayed, due to the fact that after filming the car-chase scene through Paris, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in the same tunnel that is part of the chase.....
Kool Fact: I have a picture of me (taken in 1990) in Nice in front of that Merry-Go-Round they walk past when approaching the Hotel.........
Oof. I tried not to think too much about Diana and those tunnels! Nice looks nice. I have a picture of me in front of the memorial above the tunnel of Diana's crash. I think the Merry-Go-Round is much happier!!
I am not a fan of action adventure flicks. The acting in this one was superb. I've re-watched it several times.
If a movie is good enough, it can surpass its own genre!
I really love the reactions, but the distorted voices are a little annoying. But I’ll still be back for more.
Oh, that was an accident and it totally bothered me too. I'm not sure why the voice filter I use suddenly turned everyone into a bass. lol Thanks for your patience!
Fun reaction, not a huge fan of this film but there are some great scene's
Thanks! There really were some awesome scenes!
Thank you.
The idea of the Ronin spoken of in the movie, and illustrated in the tale of the revenge of the forty-seven rōnin, is an idealised notion of honour and duty from eighteenth century Japan. It holds that duty to your Lord is supreme over all other considerations even the death of your Lord or your self. Most commentators from the eighteenth century on considered the forty-seven failures believing that they should have killed themselves on their Lord's death. The forty-seven held that their duty to their Lord, and their duty to kill his enemy, was greater than the dictates of their own honour.
Sam is obviously the titular Ronin, cast out, and one suspects as the saying goes, disavowed by the C.I.A., yet still he is working for them. He holds to the same sense of duty that the forty-seven held, to hunt down and kill the C.I.A.'s enemy - though he is no longer employed by them - the Irish man. He does this even as he is a mercenary, employed to recover a "case" by the faction led by the same Irishman.
I hope this wasn't utterly obvious.
No, actually the concept can almost get too complex if you over think it, so having it laid out is helpful. I think the entire concept of the Ronin and how it is only used in the opening and then in the explanation scene is quite clever all by itself. This movie is an onion with many layers!!