--- title: "Ronin" year: 1998 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ronin" fi1m_id: "ronin" imdb_id: "tt0122690" tmdb_id: 8195 wikidata_id: "Q751401" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 10 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.932834+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ronin (1998) Directed by John Frankenheimer · 2h 02m · MPA R · Action, Thriller, Crime ## Identity Ronin - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ronin - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** ronin - **IMDb ID:** tt0122690 - **TMDB ID:** 8195 - **Wikidata ID:** Q751401 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8195, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q751401 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 66 from 10 reviews *In a sentence:* These people trust their brakes more than their colleagues, and we can see their point > John Frankenheimer’s *Ronin* is a tense, satisfying thriller whose car chases justify the attention paid to them. The plotting is less reliable, but Robert De Niro and Jean Reno make the company worth keeping. ## Synopsis Sam (Robert De Niro) and Vincent (Jean Reno) operate in a post-Cold War world of espionage, theft and shifting loyalties. A criminal job brings together people whose professional experience offers no guarantee that they can trust one another. Natascha McElhone plays Deirdre, alongside Stellan Skarsgård as Gregor, Skipp Sudduth as Larry and Sean Bean as Spence; Jonathan Pryce appears as Seamus O’Rourke. John Frankenheimer directs a thriller that follows the intrigue into car chases, with its characters’ judgement and nerve put under pressure as allegiances become harder to read. ## Review John Frankenheimer’s *Ronin* is a tense, skilful thriller with car chases that earn their length and characters who could use a little more attention. It takes the business of espionage and theft seriously, without treating the people involved as glamorous. Much of the pleasure comes from watching a cast make professional caution interesting. We recommend it for that and for the action, with no promise that every complication in the screenplay will reward close inspection. Robert De Niro’s Sam and Jean Reno’s Vincent give the film its most dependable company. Both performances are restrained, and the rapport between them gives us something to care about amid the changing allegiances. They suggest experience without insisting on our admiration, which helps when the writing supplies so little personal history. There is dry pleasure in their lack of fuss: these are actors comfortable allowing alertness and fatigue to do some of the work. The car chases justify the film’s reputation for action. We caught ourselves bracing during them, because the speed looks dangerous and the cars have a convincing sense of weight. Robert Fraisse’s cinematography makes that physical danger legible, while Antony Gibbs’s editing keeps the pursuit urgent without making the movement seem arbitrary. We can follow enough of the driving to appreciate the skill involved, and still worry about a collision. Frankenheimer allows driving itself to hold our attention. Michael Z. Hanan’s production design supports the unglamorous mood; the surroundings never seem to be competing with the people for our attention. That helps keep the intrigue down to a human scale, even when the plotting becomes elaborate. Elia Cmiral’s music sustains the unease effectively without making the work seem noble. These are sensible choices for a film whose appeal depends so much on believing that its people have done this sort of thing before. The screenplay by J. D. Zeik and David Mamet is less dependable. Shifting loyalties keep the intrigue moving, but too often a fresh complication arrives before the previous one has acquired much importance. We understand that distrust is part of the pleasure; we do not need everybody’s childhood explained. Even so, the film asks for sustained interest in characters it has given us little reason to know, and the persuasive performances cannot always make up the difference. Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård and Sean Bean help give the ensemble a sense of distinct personalities, even when the roles remain underwritten. Frankenheimer trusts faces and behaviour to carry scenes that another thriller might fill with explanations or jokes. That straight-faced approach suits this throwback to the international crime thriller, and the film rarely seems embarrassed by its familiar ingredients. It can be excessively solemn, but the absence of constant self-mockery is welcome. At 122 minutes, *Ronin* has enough time to expose those thinly written characters, and there are stretches when the next pursuit cannot come soon enough. Yet the action is rewarding enough to make that a forgivable limitation. Frankenheimer gets considerable suspense from the possibility that a skilled person may make a mistake at speed. Choose it when a tense, straight-faced thriller sounds appealing, provided that the driving matters more to the evening than anybody’s private life. *Fi1m score 80, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome Ronin as an old-fashioned thriller whose appeal rests on practical skill and a lack of fuss. Praise clusters around Frankenheimer’s direction and the car chases, which the reviews repeatedly describe as convincing, forceful and central to the film’s pleasure. The cast also earns approval for its professionalism and camaraderie, with De Niro and Reno helping to make the shifting loyalties engaging even when the plotting strains belief. The spread is wide, however, and the main reservation is that the action has more substance than the characters. Several otherwise favourable reviews find limited depth, thin drama or a plot that does not quite sustain interest. Total Film admires the traditional action technique but finds the script too weak to support it. Time Out dissents more sharply, dismissing the performances and camerawork as well as finding that even the chases become tiresome. ## Straight answers **Is Ronin worth watching?** *Ronin* is worth watching for anyone who wants a tense, straight-faced crime thriller with car chases that earn their length, and we scored it 80. Robert De Niro and Jean Reno make professional caution good company, though the screenplay piles up complications faster than it makes us care about them. Choose it when the driving matters more than anybody's private life. **How long is Ronin, and what is it rated?** *Ronin* runs 2h 02m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is an action and thriller film. **Where can I watch Ronin in the US?** *Ronin* is streaming on Tubi, The Roku Channel, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. It leaves Tubi on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Ronin, and is it suitable for children?** *Ronin* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children, and its appeal rests on shootings, betrayals and car chases that look dangerous. We found ourselves bracing during the pursuits because the speed and the weight of the cars feel real. Older teenagers who can take an unglamorous thriller about theft and violence should be fine; the squeamish may find the collisions hard going. **How does Ronin compare to Infernal Affairs?** *Ronin* is the more physical of the two, built around car chases and a mercenary crew who cannot trust one another, while [*Infernal Affairs*](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs) keeps its danger personal through two undercover leads whom deception is wearing down. Both take professional competence seriously and doubt that it settles loyalty. We think the Hong Kong film is the tighter piece of storytelling; *Ronin* is the better evening if the action is the point. **What should I watch after Ronin?** After *Ronin*, try [*Infernal Affairs*](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs) (2002, Fi1m 87): Another tense Hong Kong thriller where professional competence cannot settle questions of loyalty. Then [*Headhunters*](https://film.one/film/headhunters) (2011, Fi1m 80): Norwegian crime turns nastier and funnier, with a thief badly overestimating his control. ### Reviews we read (11) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): Turan called it an old-fashioned thriller efficiently brought up to date. He praised the tense, world-weary characters and the impressive realistic car chases. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-25-ca-26114-story.html) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (80/100, inferred): Lane found the film enjoyable overall, especially its multiple excellent car chases. He noted its democratic feel and Frankenheimer's return to form. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/10/05/on-the-road-3) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (75/100, inferred): Ebert enjoyed the film for its skill and its silliness. He praised the convincing cast and Frankenheimer's visual style while noting the action makes little sense. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ronin-1998) - **The Guardian**, Xan Brooks (70/100, inferred): The critic finds Ronin a straightforward, authentic thriller that plays its familiar elements with a straight face and no irony, emerging slightly better than the paired film Rounders. Frankenheimer's direction is praised for its dunder-headed authenticity and effective car chases. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian/0,,36058,00.html) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): McCarthy viewed it as a pleasurable throwback to 1960s gritty international thrillers. He praised the potent action and shifting loyalties but noted the characters lack depth or resonance. [Read](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/ronin-1200455207/) - **Empire** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds Frankenheimer's spy-heist thriller noticeably old-school and praises solid performances from De Niro and Reno along with the ace car chases, but notes the plot lacks enough dynamism to make it memorable. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ronin-review/) - **Total Film** (40/100, inferred): The review calls the film a confusingly plotted post-Cold War thriller that offers a restrained antidote to flashier fare like Mission: Impossible, praising Frankenheimer's traditional action technique and car chases while complaining that the lack of real drama and weak script consign it to mediocrity. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/ronin-review/) - **Time Out**, GA (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film to be laughably hackneyed genre fluff with a rambling, uninvolving plot, paper-thin characters, clumsy dialogue and absurd pretensions. The car chases provide brief novelty before growing tiresome, alongside lazy performances and ugly camerawork. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ronin-1998) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (NYT Critic’s Pick): Maslin hailed it as a top-notch thriller propelled by gritty professionalism and breathtaking car chases. She praised the formidable cast's camaraderie and the director's conviction. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/25/movies/film-review-real-tough-guys-real-derring-do.html) - **Eye for Film**, Gator MacReady (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Frankenheimer's masterful direction and the film's gritty, intelligent action sequences, especially the car chases, as a return to classic 1970s style filmmaking that elevates it above modern Hollywood fare. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ronin-film-review-by-gator-macready) - **Den of Geek**, Robert Keeling (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Ronin as an immaculately crafted and entertaining action thriller with masterful direction, strong cast, twisting plot, and authentic car chases that rank among the best. Minor faults noted include an out-of-place love story and sagging pace in the finale. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-ronin/) ## Details - **Director:** John Frankenheimer - **Director:** John Frankenheimer - **Screenplay:** David Mamet, J. D. Zeik - **Story:** J. D. Zeik - **Cinematography:** Robert Fraisse - **Editor:** Antony Gibbs - **Music:** Elia Cmiral, Djivan Gasparyan - **Production design:** Michael Z. Hanan - **Costume design:** May Routh - **Producer:** Frank Mancuso Jr. - **Cast:** Robert De Niro as Sam; Jean Reno as Vincent; Natascha McElhone as Deirdre; Stellan Skarsgård as Gregor; Skipp Sudduth as Larry; Jonathan Pryce as Seamus O'Rourke; Sean Bean as Spence; Michael Lonsdale as Jean-Pierre - **Runtime:** 2h 02m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 25 September 1998 - **Genres:** Action, Thriller, Crime - **Budget:** $55 million - **Box office:** $71 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHrhOuz_QEk ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Saturn Awards 1998: Best Action or Adventure Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Driver* (1978): For similarly spare characters and car chases built around nerve and precision. - *Le Cercle Rouge* (1970): Another patient crime thriller where professional competence offers limited protection against other people. - *Infernal Affairs* (2002), Fi1m 87: Another tense Hong Kong thriller where professional competence cannot settle questions of loyalty. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md) - *Headhunters* (2011), Fi1m 80: Norwegian crime turns nastier and funnier, with a thief badly overestimating his control. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/headhunters.md) - *The Train* (1964): Frankenheimer makes machinery, geography and human stubbornness the basis of wartime suspense. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/ronin