Any other heist movies/shows we should check out? Crime Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dqlmiIFyVb3oMZkOwoQAJsz 1990's Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dr8dJVR7bb5cRjIvAT-MeIM
One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Deirdre, Seamus, and Gregor end up in the tunnel going the wrong way and Gregor puts his seat belt on. Up to that point he's waiting for an opportunity to escape and a seat belt will get in the way; after that he's like 'Imma make sure I survive the impending collision'. And it pays off - he's the only one to walk away on his own after they roll off the overpass. Great little moment.
After a couple minutes of the insane car chase, the music kicking in and Gregor putting on his seat belt let the audience know that it was going to get even crazier.
Holy smoke, is this one a great vehicle for car chases, no pun intended. This is proof that even in an age of computer effects, dangerous and exciting stunts can still be done for real. Fun fact. For the climactic chase, four BMW E34 M5s and four Peugeot 406s were used, and to further sell the idea of Natasha McElhone and Robert De Niro driving for real, two of those cars were right hand drive cars that were modified to give the illusion of being left hand drive.
Katarina Witt is a German former figure skater. A two-time Olympic champion, Witt is regarded as one of the greatest ladies' singles figure skaters of all time
@@user-cs4fg1rm5k The Stasi (the Staatssicherheit, the state security service of East Germany) bugged her apartment as part of keeping her under surveillance. Creepy.
Yes Witt was under heavy surveillance too. Jenn should check out the 1988 battle of the ladies olympic figure skating competition between Witt and Debi Thomas. It was a thing!
@orlandoruizjr3834, Hardly anyone. Certainly none of the well-known reactors, until this week, that is. TBR Schmitt is also featuring it in a few days!!!
The driving stunts were all performed by Rémy Julienne and his team. The scene where they drive against the traffic was carefully choreographed by the way of the headlights. If you notice some had no headlights, some had solid lights and some flashed...this was all cues as to which way to drive against the opposing driver...brave and very skillful. Thanks for the watch Jen x
I don't remember if this was the first time I saw the "driving the wrong way on a one-way stretch of highway" sequence but I think of it that way. It's pretty common now in car chases and I always think of this movie when I see one.
@@doncotton3367 I'm fairly sure "Ronin" wasn't the first movie to do against-the-traffic driving on a highway, but it is certainly one of the most intense and well-done chase sequences ever. Today they can fake much of it with computer graphics, and it just doesn't get the same impact when it's not live rolling steel cages barreling towards each other at high speed... :)
@@lennyvalentin6485 Yeah, I realized that "To Live And Die In LA" (1985) had a "wrong way" chase that pre-dated the one in Ronin and there are probably others. For some reason the sequence in "Ronin" just sticks out in my mind, I guess.
@@doncotton3367 You seem to have better memory than me! I couldn't think of any specific example, just considered that Ronin is a 1990s-era movie and thought it'd be strange if nobody thought of doing such a car chase until then. :)
The car chase in town is considered to be one of the top 3 car chases ever. The other two being with Steve McQueen in Bullitt and the other being Gene Hackman in The French Connection - both classics worthy any film buffs repertoire
Sometimes i feel like we don't give enough credit to Jen's specialty: her reactivity to the Soundtrack/Score within each movie she watches for us... Thank You Jen, for your ear, and your attentiveness, and your joyful musicality!
This is one of the last movies directed by the great John Frankenheimer, one of the most underrated directors of his time. Responsible for so many bangers such as The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, The Train, Grand Prix, Black Sunday, and others. A master of paranoid political thrillers as well as incredible car chases and racing sequences.
It feels as though he watched TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. and thought to himself : "High-speed chase on a highway going the opposite direction? I'll show these young whipper-snappers!"
@@YankeesForever25, Likely, one of Rock Hudson's greatest roles, FWIW. It's pretty terrifying, amongst other qualities, and a film I can pretty confidently say just about no YT reactor will take on.
Jen, that guy they visited to remove the bullet was none other than Hugo Drax of Moonraker fame! He must have made it back safely to Earth after Bond ejected him into space.
Fun Michael Lonsdale fact: he's natively French AND English, AND fluently French and English-speaking too. Or well, was, as he passed the other year... :( Great actor. His low-key acting while playing a megalomanic James Bond villain will always stand out as one of the best badguys in a movie ever in my book. Perfect proof you don't need to act crazy to play someone being completely bats--t insane. :)
Never noticed that, but there are actually three major Bond villains cast in this movie. Sean Bean from "GoldenEye", Johnathan Pryce from "Tomorrow Never Dies" and Michael Lonsdale from "Moonraker". Also Stellan Skarsgard could have been a Bond villain. At least he was in "Hunt For Red October".
@@hulkhatepunybanner It is that, but it feels like it's even worse than that. Many successful European actors that are leading men in European films don't ever get leading man roles in American films, but do frequently get the lead villain roles. See Mads Mikkelsen, Vincent Cassel, Daniel Bruhl, Christoph Waltz, many Bond villains (like the ones above), and even guys like Michael Fassbender or Javier Bardem. Those that do break through that typecasting, like an Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, or Christian Bale, tend to be Brits. Even Gary Oldman was always playing bad guys earlier on in his career. It's like, "you are more than welcome to come to Hollywood and act in our American films as long as you know at the end of the day you will be killed or caught by one of our heroes."
@@spinin1251 *Classic Hollywood: foreign = evil.* Henchmen are abnormally tall or short. Con men have dark, often curly, hair. Comic relief tend to be overweight or "quirky" faces. If those roles do not have those physical traits it means they're the anti-hero. Did these "caricatures" exist before Hollywood? _Insufficient data._
@JeffGes the original Vanishing is a great movie, but Skarsgard is not in it. Not if you mean the main killer and not some other supporting character I may not remember.
I was waiting for you to watch this. Worth the wait, knew you would love the writing and the languages/dialect and the foley stands out as coordinated with the score, no soundtrack. Yes I KNEW, you would ❤️ the music!
Great film, but will never be able to forget that nobody seemed to dare to correct De Niro and his pronunciation of Hereford when he says 'hear ford' instead of 'hair reh ford'. The significance is that Hereford is the home of the SAS.
In Japanese, the kanji for Ronin is 2 symbols - wave and man. I love how beautifully it describes these dishonored warriors, wanderers like restless waves. Ronin is a fantastic spy thriller wrapped in a tense heist. I've been suspicious of Stellan Skarsgard ever since, in everything. Even Mama Mia...
So historical context. After WW2 the former allies of convenience became opponents. So began the Cold War between the USSR and the West. Highly trained operatives working in secret behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and disrupt the other side. In the late 80's, the Soviet Union collapsed which eventually led to the end of the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War brought an end for their respective country's need for so many cold warriors. So many of these cold warriors became masterless as their nation states released them from service. Many put their skills to use as mercenaries, warriors for hire. So that's who the majority of the crew are, former agents of the Cold War, "Ronin."
Don't mean to be "that guy", but the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s. (Tail end of december 1991 somewhat more precisely.) There was also an interesting attempted (brief) coup that previous summer, where "Old Guard" members of the communist party tried to oust Gorbachev and end Glasnost and all that nonsense... :P As I happen to live in a country fairly close to the Russkies, things were somewhat tense for a few days there while those events played themselves out. :)
20:23 indeed that was a stadium... 2000 (ish) years ago :) That was a Roman Arena, we have several of these still up here in France. There's a small one in Paris, and several medium to large(ish) ones especially in the South of France where the Roman built more, and where the climate is dryer and it helped preserved these. Most of them are not in regular use, they're antiques :) But some do see things, and the one in Arles (as its sibling the Roman Amphitheater here) is famous for hosting reasonably large events, from corrida to music festivals. And also famous to have inspired some celebrities, Van Gogh was in love with the town and the Arena for example, and one of his painting is named after it. I don't know current numbers with current security regulations, but the big Roman Arenas in France (like here in Arles, or in Nîmes) could host up to 25000 spectators during the Roman times.
Totally rad reaction Jen! This is one of my personal top 5 favorite movies EVER! The writing is excellent, the actors are freakin' amazing and locales are awesome. The case is a "MacGuffin", since they never reveal the contents in the movie, it could be anything you imagine......now since this movie takes place when and where it does, taking into account the characters and their backgrounds, I always assumed that the case contained some kind of military or security documents from the former Soviet Union, maybe launch codes, location of weapons...... again it could be anything you want it to be. Like I said, the reason I assumed what's in the case is De Niro's character is CIA and Skarsgard's (Gregor) is ex-KGB . The car chase scenes are so good and so well shot! They actually brought in a ton of professional race car drivers and stunt people for the movie and the effort and time they put into it really makes it all stand out. When De Niro and McElhone's characters go to the hotel to scope out the targets and determine how good their security is, if you notice when they're leaving their room, you see spray paint being used to transition to the next scene, it's Gregor spray painting the fake case. I've honestly lost count of how many times I've seen this movie. The director John Frankenheimer is a great director (I highly recommend his adaptation of "The Manchurian Candidate"). The cast in this is top notch! Again, great reaction Jen! Many blessings to you and yours!
@@mitchellmelkin4078 They could've both been. That's why I love this movie so much. It answers some questions and leaves you guessing about others......it makes you think and feel, which is something I think that a lot of movies are missing today.
Thank you bradley! This was such a cool movie and I'd like to see it again in the future when I can look out for more of the details. I think you're probably right about what's in the case. It's almost more terrifying to not know! Thank you again for your generosity, I really appreciate it! ♡♡
Ronin was a hugely underrated/overlooked movie. Just a super tight, intriguing gangster and espionage action thriller. The writing, performances, music and action directing were incredible. Only slightly let down by some iffy Irish accents. I love that movie and the car chases are right up there with all-time greats like Blues Brothers and Bullitt.
One of the rare movies where Sean Bean survives. His character's ego is a different story 😅 The figure skater is Katarina Witt, 2x Olympic Champion and 4x World Champion in the 1980s.
It's crazy - Frankenheimer directed this with all the skill and class of a veteran (which he absolutely was), as a sort of tribute to the action dramas of the Seventies but in a very modern dynamic style. What he did, by referencing his past, was to reinvigorate the whole genre for an upcoming new millennium. This movie perfectly whets the appetite for the Bourne trilogy and everything which followed. A crazy good movie. Actors at the top of their game, too. I love that Sean Bean was a red herring. Oh, and "tunnels or roads; which is more dangerous?": Late Nineties? Parisian tunnels. :(
Isn't that the one where Stallone plays a guy who wanted to be a cop in the nypd but couldn't, and then ends up sherriff in a place where most of the people are nypd?
My dad is a huge lover of car chases in movies, so I grew up watching movies like this. I always look on them fondly now because of how into them he got.
Sean Bean appears; he looks familiar. Goldeneye, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Sharpe, Patriot Games, Troy, Silent Hill, The Martian, National Treasure, Flightplan, Equilibrium, Jupiter Ascending, The Lightning Thief, The Island, North Country, Don’t Say a Word, Black Beauty, Essex Boys, Bravo Two Zero, The Dark, The Hitcher, Outlaw, Final Fantasy XV, Dark River, Knights of the Zodiac. Every episode of Sharpe from 1993-2015, Family Guy…The Simpsons….South Park….etc. He’s done voice acting for loads of computer games; Civilization 6, Final Fantasy, Rome….etc It’s fucking Sean Bean!!!
This move was last of its kind, old school spy thriller. If I'm not mistaken there is a lot of foreshadowing in the movie about what could be in the case, probably small nuke Samus would use for terrorist act. Only really openly unbelievable thing is that agent so experienced as DeNiro character would fall so much for that girl to risk everything. If they developed their relationship more maybe, but still..
@@LuminairPrime He let her go at the end, he should have killed her at the car before and it would be a lot easier, he clearly has authorization to do anything necessary to get to Samus. I guess they wanted some emotional element, but it is out of place and wasn't needed.
The casting of this movie is off the charts with star power: DeNiro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgård, etc. Still one of my all time favorite action/crime genre movies. The way it does not waste time to explain things, but just thrusts you straight into the action and lets you make your own conclusions. Way too underrated, in my opinion.
DeepCut, Jen. This was one of John Frankenheimer's final films - I recommend you see his THE TRAIN & THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (and not the forgettable remake w/Denzel).
Such an underrated gem ! The best car chase in cinema (the behind the scenes footage is incredible). And wonderful Michael Lonsdale !! What a cast. Best heist movies - Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels - Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham and Vinny Jones putting themselves on the cinematic map. So so British, eternally quotable and really funny. Also Baby Driver, Point Break, Jackie Brown, Gone in 60 Seconds, Cliffhanger and Swordfish just for how bonkers it is and how hacking really is not done ! But my #1 recommendation, Luc Besson's Taxi with Marion Cotillard (Inception) - a comedy about a Taxi driver whom supercharges his taxi and gets recruited by the police to stop a German bank robbing crew. Sooooo ridiculous, so silly and so very French.
One of my favorite movies. Great cast and one of the best car chases. I also like how a lot of thr action is more thought out like how the characters approach fighting. Deniro is known more for mafia roles but his roles like this are just as good imo.
The screenplay for this movie was written by the playwright David Mamet ( using a pseudonym). Once I learned that, the style made sense - Mamet’s owm movie “Heist” is well worth watching, as is his debut “House Of Games”
Another banger of a reaction from Jen car chases , explosions 💥 cool music all the stuff that makes Jen and us happy . It's a true joy watching along with you Jen you're the panda's pom-poms 🔥
Spraying a bullet with teflon isn't what makes it armor piercing, but movies tend to say that. The teflon treatment is done on brass bore bullets (which already pierce armor) to prevent them from destroying gun barrels on the way out. A normal hollow point lead bullet will deform and flatten against a vest, dealing blunt force trauma over a wider area. Since brass bore bullets maintain their shape moreso, the point stays, allowing the force to be directed to a smaller area, piercing the armor. That has the added consequence of not being kind to barrels, leading to the teflon treatment.
For another intense car chase: “To Live and Die in L.A.” by director, William Friedkin .Also directed “The French Connection” which has one of the most famous car chases in film history. (Chasing a train technically). Finally another great film by the same director is “Sorcerer” (a remake of “The Wages of Fear” ) about a dangerous truck convoy driving nitro glecerin / high explosives through a jungle. (Also remade and out on Netflix this month )
Jen, I'm stoked that you reacted to Ronin! (1998) I love this movie - great dialogue, great acting, great plot, the best car chases I've seen on film, and gripping music! It also fills me with nostalgia.
I had a crush on gold medalist figure skater Katarina Witt (lady in Ronin) at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Even though, as a Canuck, I was hoping for Elizabeth Manley to win gold...instead of silver.
You should definitely go to Nice, it's beautiful. But not only the town itself, but the surrounding areas and Monaco are breathtaking. I've been a few times, driving those streets in and around Nice, horse riding in the mountains overlooking the town and Mediterranean. Just stunning!
Though not well-known, this is my number 1 action movie. Katerina Witt (Olympic Gold medalist) played the skating star. The driving in old Nice, was done at FULL speed, meaning they did the stunts for real. The reverse drive on highway took hundreds of stunt drivers. Frankenheimer was one of the greatest action directors, especially for driving scenes.
I do think a lot from this era can get past folks who aren't aware of the geopolitics. You're really perceptive though, Jen! You do so well even without all context or details. It's fun to watch. ♥
Movie weapon lore. The big gun you first commented on before the ambush is a West German HK 69-A1 handheld 40mm grenade launcher. Deniro then uses a Sig SG 551 assault rifle. At the end of the ambush Deniro is using a FN MINIMI-Para Mk 2 light machine gun.
In case you ever go here, please be aware that Europe usually isn't quite this exciting. ;) My reaction to seeing you reacting to Ronin: "boy, is she in for a ride!" Heh. This movie is proof you don't need Lamborghinis or Murrican V8 muscle cars to have exciting car chases. Also, this was all done in the real world, with real cars, real drivers, so much higher stakes, and before the era of truly advanced computer graphics to fake the difficult shots. You had to do it all for real.
The film takes place between Nice and Marseille France on the Riviera. One of the most heavily policed areas of Europe. If you really had car chases and shoot outs like that there would be thousands of police and military after you immediately.
The story of the 47 Ronin is a part of Japanese lore. This was adapted into a movie starring Keanu Reeves. Stellan Skarsgard (Gregor) was the professor in Good Will Hunting. Two of his sons: Alexander (Tarzan, Eric the Northman in True Blood) and Bill (Pennywise the Clown in the two "It" movies). As for Jean Reno, highly recommend "Leon" (The Professional in some countries) with a young Natalie Portman.
Probably my favourite movie. Smart and mysterious, with superb action scenes. I loved that it didn't wrap everything in a neat little package. Not everything gets resolved in life.
One of my favourites. Love the cast throughout and would definitely watch a series with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno's characters, the car has a special place on my heart as well. Hope you get to see the south of France one day Jen (minus a silver briefcase)
The cafe where they meet in the beginning is in Montmartre in Paris. But they have renovated the building, so it doesn't look like that anymore. I know. I looked for it.
I looked for it too. The stairs are there for sure and are absolutely iconic. The interior was a custom built set. Frankenheimer gave a full run down in the audio commentary on the "swipe" effect
Jen, if you want some more incredible driving through the streets of Paris, look up the 1976 short film “C’était un Rendez-vous Paris”. In it, a man goes for a brisk, early morning drive in a Ferrari 275 GTB (translation, it's a fast car) and raises a little Hell. The film wasn't a professional production, in that no one knew what was going on and the streets weren't closed for safety. You can find the entire film here on RUclips. I'll leave it to you to read up on how the short was made.
Ronin doesn’t get enough wide recognition, but is generally loved by those who’ve seen it. The cast is quintessential 90s, especially with Jean Reno and the always beautiful and mysterious, Natascha McElhone. People used to say Bullitt had the best car chase. I always said this movie, or maybe The Italian Job.
@@AndrewGivens Bullitt’s chase still wins in length, clocking in at over 10 minutes, if I remember correctly. But it’s kinda boring, imho. I do appreciate the realism, though.
Okay. Jen's got weapons, sneaking, sniper, and person-in-the-van covered. Who's got skills for the rest? : ) Such a wonderful movie, Sam is smart, thoughtful, prepared, and actually loyal despite pretending to be a mercenary. Everyone is so damn capable except for Spence. And the car and action is top notch!
You never see what's in the case, but there's a cut scene that shows what happens to Dierdre near the end. It's brutal, and apparently rings true to how paramilitaries on both sides of that particular struggle at the time dealt with anyone considered a traitor.
The car chases in this movie are INCREDIBLE; the precision required to drive at speed, through twisty, narrow roads lined with obstructions. You appeared to describe a Citreon spinning as "drifting" too. Drifting is a controlled slide, where you balance the accelerator, and steer through it. Spinning is when you try to drift, misjudge either your car, the conditions, or both......and overcook it.
@@Cheepchipsable Rally drivers have been doing it, yes, but they have co-drivers who have scoped the route out, and have exact notes to instruct the driver every step of the way. Rally courses are one single track from A to B, closed off from the public, with ZERO unexpected traffic. This is through busy streets.
This was the first movie I saw Stellan Skarsgård in, and I don't think I saw him in another movie for about 15 years, but I remembered him. My favorite bit was when he puts his seatbelt on at 29:18 in the wrong way car chase.
There are a lot of Bond villains in Ronin - Sean Bean, Jonathan Price, and the legendary Michael Lonsdale (the man with the Ronin miniatures) who was Hugo Drax in Moonraker.
Jen, you'd probably dig *Munich* (2005) ~ spycraft and special forces spread over continental Europe and based on true events, directed by Steven Spielberg and rated R
I saw this once on cable back in the 90s and found it a fun thriller, but haven't really thought about it since. All the more interesting to revisit with your first time perspective.
One thing I like about the car chases is that they're going maybe 40-50mph - fast, but not as fast as you'd expect from most car chases because there's a limit to how fast you can drive in an enclosed space without ramming into a wall.
A fantastic, smart, lean, action movie. I forgot how amazing the cast is for this movie. It also shows (as do many other movie from this time) that, when possible and done right, practical effects are so much better than cgi.
I am soooo happy you got to see this, it's one of my favorites. Yes, there's a movie called 47 Ronin and it is a true story, the event occurred January 31st, 1703. Great movie. Dr. Zhivago was a great film starring Omar Sharif, Academy Award winner for its musical score, 1965. You really need to watch this. Anyway, loved the review, love you, take care and stay safe ❤️
Your Bond film memory is so good. Sean Bean was Trevalyan from Goldeneye, Jonathan Pryce was Elliot Carver from Tomorrow Never Dies and Michael Lonsdale (the 47 Ronin model painter) was Hugo Drax from Moonraker. The skater is Katarina Witt, the Olympic Champion figure skater from Germany.
Someone in this film only a few people might know is the woman playing Natacha Kirilova & that was Katerina Witt, an ice skater born in what was East Germany. The smart guy is Stellan Skarsgard, seen in Mamma Mia and the Avengers films
Ronin has long been one of my favorite movies growing up! Then, when I was about 28 years old, I moved to Europe, specifically the south of France, where much of the movie took place. I visited many of the places in the movie, both because I sought them out and also some I ended up at just out of exploring. Arles is one of my favorite cities and looks just like that in the movie! I lived in Montpellier but I'd recommend going all throughout the south of France as well as northern Italy. So beautiful!!!
Good of you to show Ronin, one of the best action-movies ever made, a real McGuffin-fest. Directed by John Frankenheimer, in Paris, with the world famous, French stunt company he created himself. David Mamet took part in the writing of the script. It's a simple, direct plot about a group of violent men, led by a Irish girl who wonders what the hell she done with her life. Extremely good cast.
These were top European actors of the time. All with many great films in their resume that could be featured on your channel. The director, Frakenheimer, has many worthy pictures under his belt as well.
Love this movie. Everyone delivers an awesome performance. For another great De Niro flick with Ed Norton, I highly recommend "The Score" (2001), another fantastic heist movie.
Any other heist movies/shows we should check out?
Crime Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dqlmiIFyVb3oMZkOwoQAJsz
1990's Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dr8dJVR7bb5cRjIvAT-MeIM
Jen asked about "Live Free or Die Hard" (the 4th) during this Reaction, and I'd really Love for Her to see that!👍
Man on a ledge , the Italian job , now you see me and American hustle to name a few 👍
@@Ian-xx1xb Awesome Suggestions👍I Love "The Italian Job" but didn't know anyone else who ever Liked "Man on a Ledge!"
Sexy Beast, with Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley.
Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges in THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT
One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Deirdre, Seamus, and Gregor end up in the tunnel going the wrong way and Gregor puts his seat belt on. Up to that point he's waiting for an opportunity to escape and a seat belt will get in the way; after that he's like 'Imma make sure I survive the impending collision'. And it pays off - he's the only one to walk away on his own after they roll off the overpass. Great little moment.
yeah, I always liked that little subtly. Gotta hand it to Frankenheimer.
After a couple minutes of the insane car chase, the music kicking in and Gregor putting on his seat belt let the audience know that it was going to get even crazier.
Holy smoke, is this one a great vehicle for car chases, no pun intended. This is proof that even in an age of computer effects, dangerous and exciting stunts can still be done for real. Fun fact. For the climactic chase, four BMW E34 M5s and four Peugeot 406s were used, and to further sell the idea of Natasha McElhone and Robert De Niro driving for real, two of those cars were right hand drive cars that were modified to give the illusion of being left hand drive.
Katarina Witt is a German former figure skater. A two-time Olympic champion, Witt is regarded as one of the greatest ladies' singles figure skaters of all time
East German, she was behind the Iron Curtain when she won.
@@user-cs4fg1rm5k The Stasi (the Staatssicherheit, the state security service of East Germany) bugged her apartment as part of keeping her under surveillance. Creepy.
Yes Witt was under heavy surveillance too. Jenn should check out the 1988 battle of the ladies olympic figure skating competition between Witt and Debi Thomas. It was a thing!
She also caused a lot of controversy when she posed for Playboy.
I agree with this statement.
I had the privilege of seeing this in a theater. The car chase scenes were amazing on the big screen. Not enough people react to this one. Thanks. 👍
@orlandoruizjr3834, Hardly anyone. Certainly none of the well-known reactors, until this week, that is. TBR Schmitt is also featuring it in a few days!!!
This movie is proof of the idea that action movies can be smart if you put the effort into the writing
Which is why this movie could never be made today...
Yes, love this film.
It's David Mamet's dialogue that does it.
@@Stravinsky75 Not just the dialogue but the whole composition is well-written and structured, as well as directed and acted 👌 I love that movie.
And Direction.
The driving stunts were all performed by Rémy Julienne and his team. The scene where they drive against the traffic was carefully choreographed by the way of the headlights. If you notice some had no headlights, some had solid lights and some flashed...this was all cues as to which way to drive against the opposing driver...brave and very skillful. Thanks for the watch Jen x
I don't remember if this was the first time I saw the "driving the wrong way on a one-way stretch of highway" sequence but I think of it that way. It's pretty common now in car chases and I always think of this movie when I see one.
@@doncotton3367 I'm fairly sure "Ronin" wasn't the first movie to do against-the-traffic driving on a highway, but it is certainly one of the most intense and well-done chase sequences ever.
Today they can fake much of it with computer graphics, and it just doesn't get the same impact when it's not live rolling steel cages barreling towards each other at high speed... :)
@@lennyvalentin6485 Yeah, I realized that "To Live And Die In LA" (1985) had a "wrong way" chase that pre-dated the one in Ronin and there are probably others. For some reason the sequence in "Ronin" just sticks out in my mind, I guess.
@@doncotton3367 You seem to have better memory than me! I couldn't think of any specific example, just considered that Ronin is a 1990s-era movie and thought it'd be strange if nobody thought of doing such a car chase until then. :)
The car chase in town is considered to be one of the top 3 car chases ever. The other two being with Steve McQueen in Bullitt and the other being Gene Hackman in The French Connection - both classics worthy any film buffs repertoire
Sometimes i feel like we don't give enough credit to Jen's specialty: her reactivity to the Soundtrack/Score within each movie she watches for us... Thank You Jen, for your ear, and your attentiveness, and your joyful musicality!
This is one of the last movies directed by the great John Frankenheimer, one of the most underrated directors of his time. Responsible for so many bangers such as The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, The Train, Grand Prix, Black Sunday, and others. A master of paranoid political thrillers as well as incredible car chases and racing sequences.
@YankeesForever25, Don't forget Seconds. Please.
I just haven't seen it yet. I'm sure it's great!
It feels as though he watched TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. and thought to himself : "High-speed chase on a highway going the opposite direction? I'll show these young whipper-snappers!"
@@YankeesForever25, Likely, one of Rock Hudson's greatest roles, FWIW. It's pretty terrifying, amongst other qualities, and a film I can pretty confidently say just about no YT reactor will take on.
Late Nights with Sammy has reacted to it.
Jen, that guy they visited to remove the bullet was none other than Hugo Drax of Moonraker fame! He must have made it back safely to Earth after Bond ejected him into space.
Played by Michael Lonsdale, who is also in another classic spy thriller, Day of the Jackal.
Every time I see Lonsdale I think of Drax and him offering cucumber sandwiches. Heheh
@@machfront Haha! Me too! :D
Fun Michael Lonsdale fact: he's natively French AND English, AND fluently French and English-speaking too. Or well, was, as he passed the other year... :( Great actor. His low-key acting while playing a megalomanic James Bond villain will always stand out as one of the best badguys in a movie ever in my book. Perfect proof you don't need to act crazy to play someone being completely bats--t insane. :)
Never noticed that, but there are actually three major Bond villains cast in this movie. Sean Bean from "GoldenEye", Johnathan Pryce from "Tomorrow Never Dies" and Michael Lonsdale from "Moonraker".
Also Stellan Skarsgard could have been a Bond villain. At least he was in "Hunt For Red October".
*It's called typecasting.* A limitation of imagination in Hollywood: bad guy + foreign accent + tried actor = any of those guys (and NO ONE ELSE).
Beat me to it. I was going to write the same exact thing. I never noticed it before today either.
@@hulkhatepunybanner It is that, but it feels like it's even worse than that. Many successful European actors that are leading men in European films don't ever get leading man roles in American films, but do frequently get the lead villain roles. See Mads Mikkelsen, Vincent Cassel, Daniel Bruhl, Christoph Waltz, many Bond villains (like the ones above), and even guys like Michael Fassbender or Javier Bardem. Those that do break through that typecasting, like an Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, or Christian Bale, tend to be Brits. Even Gary Oldman was always playing bad guys earlier on in his career. It's like, "you are more than welcome to come to Hollywood and act in our American films as long as you know at the end of the day you will be killed or caught by one of our heroes."
@@spinin1251 *Classic Hollywood: foreign = evil.* Henchmen are abnormally tall or short. Con men have dark, often curly, hair. Comic relief tend to be overweight or "quirky" faces. If those roles do not have those physical traits it means they're the anti-hero. Did these "caricatures" exist before Hollywood? _Insufficient data._
@JeffGes the original Vanishing is a great movie, but Skarsgard is not in it. Not if you mean the main killer and not some other supporting character I may not remember.
I was waiting for you to watch this.
Worth the wait, knew you would love the writing and the languages/dialect and the foley stands out as coordinated with the score, no soundtrack. Yes I KNEW, you would ❤️ the music!
The chases in this movie are top notch. Truly underrated
I'm pretty sure the second chase, through Paris, is regarded as among the top five movie car chases by a lot of folk.
@@AndrewGivens, Without question. Definitely not underrated.
Great film, but will never be able to forget that nobody seemed to dare to correct De Niro and his pronunciation of Hereford when he says 'hear ford' instead of 'hair reh ford'. The significance is that Hereford is the home of the SAS.
In Japanese, the kanji for Ronin is 2 symbols - wave and man. I love how beautifully it describes these dishonored warriors, wanderers like restless waves.
Ronin is a fantastic spy thriller wrapped in a tense heist. I've been suspicious of Stellan Skarsgard ever since, in everything. Even Mama Mia...
Trust Japan to make "wave man" mean "dishonored wandering warrior" and not "surfer dude"... ;D
"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt." Words to live by!
Nice!
This is one of those Robert DeNiro action movies that no one hardly talks about.
Yeah. The Score (2001) goes under the radar a bit too.
Perhaps it has something to do with [Redacted for the Purposes of National Security Fee-Fees.]
So historical context. After WW2 the former allies of convenience became opponents. So began the Cold War between the USSR and the West. Highly trained operatives working in secret behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and disrupt the other side. In the late 80's, the Soviet Union collapsed which eventually led to the end of the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War brought an end for their respective country's need for so many cold warriors. So many of these cold warriors became masterless as their nation states released them from service. Many put their skills to use as mercenaries, warriors for hire. So that's who the majority of the crew are, former agents of the Cold War, "Ronin."
Great explanation.
Don't mean to be "that guy", but the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s. (Tail end of december 1991 somewhat more precisely.) There was also an interesting attempted (brief) coup that previous summer, where "Old Guard" members of the communist party tried to oust Gorbachev and end Glasnost and all that nonsense... :P As I happen to live in a country fairly close to the Russkies, things were somewhat tense for a few days there while those events played themselves out. :)
20:23 indeed that was a stadium... 2000 (ish) years ago :) That was a Roman Arena, we have several of these still up here in France. There's a small one in Paris, and several medium to large(ish) ones especially in the South of France where the Roman built more, and where the climate is dryer and it helped preserved these.
Most of them are not in regular use, they're antiques :)
But some do see things, and the one in Arles (as its sibling the Roman Amphitheater here) is famous for hosting reasonably large events, from corrida to music festivals. And also famous to have inspired some celebrities, Van Gogh was in love with the town and the Arena for example, and one of his painting is named after it.
I don't know current numbers with current security regulations, but the big Roman Arenas in France (like here in Arles, or in Nîmes) could host up to 25000 spectators during the Roman times.
Totally rad reaction Jen!
This is one of my personal top 5 favorite movies EVER!
The writing is excellent, the actors are freakin' amazing and locales are awesome.
The case is a "MacGuffin", since they never reveal the contents in the movie, it could be anything you imagine......now since this movie takes place when and where it does, taking into account the characters and their backgrounds, I always assumed that the case contained some kind of military or security documents from the former Soviet Union, maybe launch codes, location of weapons...... again it could be anything you want it to be.
Like I said, the reason I assumed what's in the case is De Niro's character is CIA and Skarsgard's (Gregor) is ex-KGB .
The car chase scenes are so good and so well shot! They actually brought in a ton of professional race car drivers and stunt people for the movie and the effort and time they put into it really makes it all stand out.
When De Niro and McElhone's characters go to the hotel to scope out the targets and determine how good their security is, if you notice when they're leaving their room, you see spray paint being used to transition to the next scene, it's Gregor spray painting the fake case.
I've honestly lost count of how many times I've seen this movie.
The director John Frankenheimer is a great director (I highly recommend his adaptation of "The Manchurian Candidate").
The cast in this is top notch!
Again, great reaction Jen!
Many blessings to you and yours!
@bradleybowles7979, Are we certain Gregor has actually been a KGB operative who was German, or perhaps, was Stasi, who the KGB was very familiar with?
@@mitchellmelkin4078 They could've both been.
That's why I love this movie so much.
It answers some questions and leaves you guessing about others......it makes you think and feel, which is something I think that a lot of movies are missing today.
Thank you bradley! This was such a cool movie and I'd like to see it again in the future when I can look out for more of the details. I think you're probably right about what's in the case. It's almost more terrifying to not know! Thank you again for your generosity, I really appreciate it! ♡♡
28:20 That tunnel, I'm told it's the same tunnel Princess Diana got into her fatal accident, running from the Paparazzi
Correct...... They delayed release of this movie, cause between filming and release, Princess Diana was involved in her accident......
@@CoastalNomad
I completly forgot about this.
I've long wondered. Thank you.
27:45 .. "High speed chase"... er, one of, if not THE BEST high speed chases ever filmed.
French Connection is also a contender
Italian Job or Bourne Identity/Ultimatum probably wins
Yes. It's the greatest car chase ever with Bullitt and French Connection in second and third. The Raid 2 in 4th.
Ronin was a hugely underrated/overlooked movie. Just a super tight, intriguing gangster and espionage action thriller. The writing, performances, music and action directing were incredible. Only slightly let down by some iffy Irish accents. I love that movie and the car chases are right up there with all-time greats like Blues Brothers and Bullitt.
Love this movie. Car chases hit different when it's down narrow and curvy streets. And the dialogue is just chef's kiss.
One of the rare movies where Sean Bean survives. His character's ego is a different story 😅
The figure skater is Katarina Witt, 2x Olympic Champion and 4x World Champion in the 1980s.
That's a myth about Bean.
Bean dies in a deleted scene.
It's crazy - Frankenheimer directed this with all the skill and class of a veteran (which he absolutely was), as a sort of tribute to the action dramas of the Seventies but in a very modern dynamic style.
What he did, by referencing his past, was to reinvigorate the whole genre for an upcoming new millennium. This movie perfectly whets the appetite for the Bourne trilogy and everything which followed.
A crazy good movie. Actors at the top of their game, too. I love that Sean Bean was a red herring.
Oh, and "tunnels or roads; which is more dangerous?": Late Nineties? Parisian tunnels. :(
@AndrewGivens, And, Bean's character actually didn't die!!!
The case from Pulp Fiction is inside the case from this movie.
maybe it’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s severed head (from the movie Se7en) 😂
Another underrated Deniro and Stallone movie you need to watch is Copland outstanding cast
Isn't that the one where Stallone plays a guy who wanted to be a cop in the nypd but couldn't, and then ends up sherriff in a place where most of the people are nypd?
My dad is a huge lover of car chases in movies, so I grew up watching movies like this. I always look on them fondly now because of how into them he got.
Sean Bean appears; he looks familiar.
Goldeneye, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Sharpe, Patriot Games, Troy, Silent Hill, The Martian, National Treasure, Flightplan, Equilibrium, Jupiter Ascending, The Lightning Thief, The Island, North Country, Don’t Say a Word, Black Beauty, Essex Boys, Bravo Two Zero, The Dark, The Hitcher, Outlaw, Final Fantasy XV, Dark River, Knights of the Zodiac.
Every episode of Sharpe from 1993-2015, Family Guy…The Simpsons….South Park….etc.
He’s done voice acting for loads of computer games; Civilization 6, Final Fantasy, Rome….etc
It’s fucking Sean Bean!!!
Also the AUDI in this film is one of my favorite car chases other than the Transporter.
This move was last of its kind, old school spy thriller. If I'm not mistaken there is a lot of foreshadowing in the movie about what could be in the case, probably small nuke Samus would use for terrorist act. Only really openly unbelievable thing is that agent so experienced as DeNiro character would fall so much for that girl to risk everything. If they developed their relationship more maybe, but still..
I don't think he fell for her, he just wasn't authorized to murder anyone he wanted.
@@LuminairPrime He let her go at the end, he should have killed her at the car before and it would be a lot easier, he clearly has authorization to do anything necessary to get to Samus. I guess they wanted some emotional element, but it is out of place and wasn't needed.
29:18 always loved that he's only just putting on his seatbelt at the point 😂
Hi Jen. if you didn't see "Frantic" with Harrison Ford, I highly recommend it. Same vibe has Ronin, without the heist.
The car chase in this is epic. cool movie from my childhood
John Frankenheimer’s commentaries are very good. My favorites are The Train, Seconds, The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May.
So many twists and turns, the "Frig" counter will be working overtime! :)
Jean Reno is kinda underrated. Great actor.
And I don't why, but that driver, Larry, played by Skipp Sudduth, is my favourite character in the movie.
He was in a lot of movies, along with Gérard Depardieu who went a bit funny in later life.
The casting of this movie is off the charts with star power: DeNiro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgård, etc. Still one of my all time favorite action/crime genre movies. The way it does not waste time to explain things, but just thrusts you straight into the action and lets you make your own conclusions. Way too underrated, in my opinion.
DeepCut, Jen. This was one of John Frankenheimer's final films - I recommend you see his THE TRAIN & THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (and not the forgettable remake w/Denzel).
Such an underrated gem ! The best car chase in cinema (the behind the scenes footage is incredible). And wonderful Michael Lonsdale !! What a cast.
Best heist movies - Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels - Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham and Vinny Jones putting themselves on the cinematic map. So so British, eternally quotable and really funny.
Also Baby Driver, Point Break, Jackie Brown, Gone in 60 Seconds, Cliffhanger and Swordfish just for how bonkers it is and how hacking really is not done !
But my #1 recommendation, Luc Besson's Taxi with Marion Cotillard (Inception) - a comedy about a Taxi driver whom supercharges his taxi and gets recruited by the police to stop a German bank robbing crew. Sooooo ridiculous, so silly and so very French.
The figure skater was Katarina Witt, two time Olympic gold-champion and regarded as one of the best in her craft ever.
One of my favorite movies. Great cast and one of the best car chases. I also like how a lot of thr action is more thought out like how the characters approach fighting. Deniro is known more for mafia roles but his roles like this are just as good imo.
The screenplay for this movie was written by the playwright David Mamet ( using a pseudonym). Once I learned that, the style made sense - Mamet’s owm movie “Heist” is well worth watching, as is his debut “House Of Games”
Love this movie.. it's probably the best car chase scene on film. I rate it higher than The French Connection chase.
Yes, the gold medal winner figure skater, Katrina Witt.
It’s my favorite car chase movie with a heist side plot.
The professional Yorkshire man, Sean bean.... 'ya bastards'
This is great timing! I was thinking about watching the movie again tonight. It's a real classic.
Another banger of a reaction from Jen car chases , explosions 💥 cool music all the stuff that makes Jen and us happy . It's a true joy watching along with you Jen you're the panda's pom-poms 🔥
Spraying a bullet with teflon isn't what makes it armor piercing, but movies tend to say that. The teflon treatment is done on brass bore bullets (which already pierce armor) to prevent them from destroying gun barrels on the way out. A normal hollow point lead bullet will deform and flatten against a vest, dealing blunt force trauma over a wider area. Since brass bore bullets maintain their shape moreso, the point stays, allowing the force to be directed to a smaller area, piercing the armor. That has the added consequence of not being kind to barrels, leading to the teflon treatment.
For another intense car chase: “To Live and Die in L.A.” by director, William Friedkin .Also directed “The French Connection” which has one of the most famous car chases in film history. (Chasing a train technically). Finally another great film by the same director is “Sorcerer” (a remake of “The Wages of Fear” ) about a dangerous truck convoy driving nitro glecerin / high explosives through a jungle. (Also remade and out on Netflix this month )
Though not as intense, for a WTF car chase I always liked the original Italian Job. Minis vs Fiats from rooftop to tunnel.
@JaguarDave54, Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but Friedkin didn't direct this. It was Frankenheimer.
@@mitchellmelkin4078 thanks I guess I confused the two. Edited for clarity.
Jen, I'm stoked that you reacted to Ronin! (1998) I love this movie - great dialogue, great acting, great plot, the best car chases I've seen on film, and gripping music! It also fills me with nostalgia.
The fact that this movie has actors who all previously portrayed Bond villains. Love this movie.
I had a crush on gold medalist figure skater Katarina Witt (lady in Ronin) at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Even though, as a Canuck, I was hoping for Elizabeth Manley to win gold...instead of silver.
You should definitely go to Nice, it's beautiful. But not only the town itself, but the surrounding areas and Monaco are breathtaking. I've been a few times, driving those streets in and around Nice, horse riding in the mountains overlooking the town and Mediterranean. Just stunning!
Yeah I went to Nice back in 2010, beautiful place.
4:48 - one of the best segues in RUclips history! That one gave me a good laugh! ESPECIALLY the dead pan inquiry about D.H.4. lol.
🏆 😅👍 It was like a Glengarry Glen Ross salesman pro.
Though not well-known, this is my number 1 action movie. Katerina Witt (Olympic Gold medalist) played the skating star. The driving in old Nice, was done at FULL speed, meaning they did the stunts for real. The reverse drive on highway took hundreds of stunt drivers. Frankenheimer was one of the greatest action directors, especially for driving scenes.
4 best chase scenes, one on foot! Point Break, Bullit, French Connection, To Live and Die in LA! Then this.
I do think a lot from this era can get past folks who aren't aware of the geopolitics. You're really perceptive though, Jen! You do so well even without all context or details. It's fun to watch. ♥
Movie weapon lore.
The big gun you first commented on before the ambush is a West German HK 69-A1 handheld 40mm grenade launcher.
Deniro then uses a Sig SG 551 assault rifle.
At the end of the ambush Deniro is using a FN MINIMI-Para Mk 2 light machine gun.
In case you ever go here, please be aware that Europe usually isn't quite this exciting. ;)
My reaction to seeing you reacting to Ronin: "boy, is she in for a ride!" Heh. This movie is proof you don't need Lamborghinis or Murrican V8 muscle cars to have exciting car chases. Also, this was all done in the real world, with real cars, real drivers, so much higher stakes, and before the era of truly advanced computer graphics to fake the difficult shots. You had to do it all for real.
Smart script, crackling dialog, solid acting and direction, great action sequences and outstanding car chases!
Top notch thriller all around!
The film takes place between Nice and Marseille France on the Riviera. One of the most heavily policed areas of Europe. If you really had car chases and shoot outs like that there would be thousands of police and military after you immediately.
The story of the 47 Ronin is a part of Japanese lore. This was adapted into a movie starring Keanu Reeves. Stellan Skarsgard (Gregor) was the professor in Good Will Hunting. Two of his sons: Alexander (Tarzan, Eric the Northman in True Blood) and Bill (Pennywise the Clown in the two "It" movies). As for Jean Reno, highly recommend "Leon" (The Professional in some countries) with a young Natalie Portman.
Probably my favourite movie. Smart and mysterious, with superb action scenes. I loved that it didn't wrap everything in a neat little package. Not everything gets resolved in life.
One of my favourites. Love the cast throughout and would definitely watch a series with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno's characters, the car has a special place on my heart as well.
Hope you get to see the south of France one day Jen (minus a silver briefcase)
A heist film with TWO Pierce Brosnan-era bond villains? Jen's hype train is about to leave the station at full speed.
And a Roger Moore one too as a bonus!
You are always welcome here in Europe Jen 😎
The cafe where they meet in the beginning is in Montmartre in Paris. But they have renovated the building, so it doesn't look like that anymore. I know. I looked for it.
I looked for it too. The stairs are there for sure and are absolutely iconic. The interior was a custom built set. Frankenheimer gave a full run down in the audio commentary on the "swipe" effect
I didn't think to look for the stairs until after, when I looked it up on Google street view.
Jen, if you want some more incredible driving through the streets of Paris, look up the 1976 short film “C’était un Rendez-vous Paris”. In it, a man goes for a brisk, early morning drive in a Ferrari 275 GTB (translation, it's a fast car) and raises a little Hell. The film wasn't a professional production, in that no one knew what was going on and the streets weren't closed for safety. You can find the entire film here on RUclips. I'll leave it to you to read up on how the short was made.
Ronin doesn’t get enough wide recognition, but is generally loved by those who’ve seen it. The cast is quintessential 90s, especially with Jean Reno and the always beautiful and mysterious, Natascha McElhone. People used to say Bullitt had the best car chase. I always said this movie, or maybe The Italian Job.
I recall that, when this movie landed, there was a very quick and general acceptance that the crown worn for so long by Bullitt had a brand-new owner.
@@AndrewGivens Bullitt’s chase still wins in length, clocking in at over 10 minutes, if I remember correctly. But it’s kinda boring, imho. I do appreciate the realism, though.
Okay. Jen's got weapons, sneaking, sniper, and person-in-the-van covered. Who's got skills for the rest? : )
Such a wonderful movie, Sam is smart, thoughtful, prepared, and actually loyal despite pretending to be a mercenary. Everyone is so damn capable except for Spence. And the car and action is top notch!
My theory is that case contained enough plutonium to construct a tactical nuke.
You never see what's in the case, but there's a cut scene that shows what happens to Dierdre near the end. It's brutal, and apparently rings true to how paramilitaries on both sides of that particular struggle at the time dealt with anyone considered a traitor.
The car chases in this movie are INCREDIBLE; the precision required to drive at speed, through twisty, narrow roads lined with obstructions. You appeared to describe a Citreon spinning as "drifting" too. Drifting is a controlled slide, where you balance the accelerator, and steer through it. Spinning is when you try to drift, misjudge either your car, the conditions, or both......and overcook it.
What rally drivers have been doing for years.
@@Cheepchipsable Rally drivers have been doing it, yes, but they have co-drivers who have scoped the route out, and have exact notes to instruct the driver every step of the way. Rally courses are one single track from A to B, closed off from the public, with ZERO unexpected traffic. This is through busy streets.
This was the first movie I saw Stellan Skarsgård in, and I don't think I saw him in another movie for about 15 years, but I remembered him. My favorite bit was when he puts his seatbelt on at 29:18 in the wrong way car chase.
There are a lot of Bond villains in Ronin - Sean Bean, Jonathan Price, and the legendary Michael Lonsdale (the man with the Ronin miniatures) who was Hugo Drax in Moonraker.
Jen, you'd probably dig *Munich* (2005) ~ spycraft and special forces spread over continental Europe and based on true events, directed by Steven Spielberg and rated R
And Argo from 2012. Superb movie.
If you enjoyed this, put the Day of the Jackal (with Edward Fox) on your poll list. You might enjoy that too.
One of my favourites movies of all times
I saw this once on cable back in the 90s and found it a fun thriller, but haven't really thought about it since. All the more interesting to revisit with your first time perspective.
Hello Jen, glad you enjoyed one of the best late 90's thrillers. its just been re-released on blu ray & 4K in the uk. :)
Controversy in this movie was the second tunnel was where Princess Diana died, and they used it to state a crash just like it.
One thing I like about the car chases is that they're going maybe 40-50mph - fast, but not as fast as you'd expect from most car chases because there's a limit to how fast you can drive in an enclosed space without ramming into a wall.
A fantastic, smart, lean, action movie. I forgot how amazing the cast is for this movie. It also shows (as do many other movie from this time) that, when possible and done right, practical effects are so much better than cgi.
One of the best car chases ever, love this movie! So happy to see you check it out!!
I think you meant TWO of the best car chases ever.
@@BigTroyT Right!
I am soooo happy you got to see this, it's one of my favorites. Yes, there's a movie called 47 Ronin and it is a true story, the event occurred January 31st, 1703. Great movie. Dr. Zhivago was a great film starring Omar Sharif, Academy Award winner for its musical score, 1965. You really need to watch this. Anyway, loved the review, love you, take care and stay safe ❤️
Your Bond film memory is so good. Sean Bean was Trevalyan from Goldeneye, Jonathan Pryce was Elliot Carver from Tomorrow Never Dies and Michael Lonsdale (the 47 Ronin model painter) was Hugo Drax from Moonraker. The skater is Katarina Witt, the Olympic Champion figure skater from Germany.
Some of the best car chase scenes ever put to film here! Frankenheimer is a beast.
Someone in this film only a few people might know is the woman playing Natacha Kirilova & that was Katerina Witt, an ice skater born in what was East Germany. The smart guy is Stellan Skarsgard, seen in Mamma Mia and the Avengers films
Ronin has long been one of my favorite movies growing up! Then, when I was about 28 years old, I moved to Europe, specifically the south of France, where much of the movie took place. I visited many of the places in the movie, both because I sought them out and also some I ended up at just out of exploring. Arles is one of my favorite cities and looks just like that in the movie! I lived in Montpellier but I'd recommend going all throughout the south of France as well as northern Italy. So beautiful!!!
Good of you to show Ronin, one of the best action-movies ever made, a real McGuffin-fest. Directed by John Frankenheimer, in Paris, with the world famous, French stunt company he created himself. David Mamet took part in the writing of the script. It's a simple, direct plot about a group of violent men, led by a Irish girl who wonders what the hell she done with her life. Extremely good cast.
Jen: "Should we watch Doctor Zhivago?" -- Answer: "Yes! Definitely!" 😊
8:15
I love that you zoomed in on the bass clarinet in the score!
One of the greatest car chase scenes in movie history. Disrupted Paris traffic for weeks.
These were top European actors of the time. All with many great films in their resume that could be featured on your channel. The director, Frakenheimer, has many worthy pictures under his belt as well.
No joke just was watching this last night😂 such an underrated gem of a movie.
Love this movie. Everyone delivers an awesome performance.
For another great De Niro flick with Ed Norton, I highly recommend "The Score" (2001), another fantastic heist movie.
It's also a Canadian heist movie! 😄