An end-of-career masterpiece from John Frankenheimer, the legendary director of The Manchurian Candidate, The Train, Seconds and Grand Prix, Ronin is a gritty and gripping action caper with some of the most exhilarating car chases ever committed to celluloid. The Cold War may be over, but a new world order keeps a group of covert mercenaries employed by the highest bidder. These operatives-for-hire, known as “Ronin” (masterless samurai), are assembled in France by a mysterious client for a seemingly routine mission: steal a top-secret briefcase. But the simple task soon proves explosive as other underworld organizations vie for the same prize…and to get the job done, the Ronin must do something they’ve never done before—trust each other. The illustrious international cast includes Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, Michael Lonsdale and Jonathan Pryce.
For thoughts on Ronin, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Ronin debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of Kino Classics with a drop dead gorgeous 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer derived from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. This release does come with a Blu-Ray disc which is derived from the same 4K master. The film was released by Arrow Video on Blu-Ray in 2017, and when compared to that fetching release, this transfer fares even better by a good margin. Even going off a cursory glance at the new Blu-Ray, it is easy to see that there are some notable improvements with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. The Arrow Video version was top notch at the time, but this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray is one of the best to grace the format thus far.
With the 4K UHD release, the transfer is as close to perfect as we could wish with virtually nothing in the way of softness or fluctuation. The Dolby Vision provides very accurate, deep colors throughout which captures the somewhat muted palette while still discovering nuances within the environment and lighting choices. Black levels are especially deep and allow the image to maintain a stunning amount of depth and detail in the numerous darker environments. A great deal of this movie takes place at night or in shadows, so this detail is critical. Highlights are likewise brighter with more stability while avoiding instances of blooming.
The comely natural film grain remains intact while always resolving naturally free of clumping and swarming. Cinematographer Robert Fraisse has a great eye for composition and framing, and every detail is the foreground and background is accounted for here. You are treated to so much texture and detail within the transfer which brings out new dimensions to the feature. Skin tones are consistent, and the clarity of the transfer gives you a striking amount of facial detail. The mastery of contrast and overall clarity is never in question, especially in unique details within the production design and the clothing. Kino Classics has potentially delivered one of their best video presentations to date.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray presents the movie with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio lossless track that captures these soundscapes perfectly. While we understand the desire for labels to provide a new Dolby Atmos surround track in addition to the original audio, this presentation is a total knockout at all turns while maintaining its artistic integrity. The all-important dialogue comes through clearly and works well with competing elements. Directionality of all sounds is precise throughout with no thoughtless or irregular placement. The surround channels provide some immersive texture to the world as each environment reveals a world of nuance that allows them to feel lived-in. The low end kicks into gear when the set pieces take over with some rich texture. The score from Elia Cmiral establishes an engaging tone which emanates with flawless fidelity. The track balances the many layers of sound so nothing turns into a mess. This audio presentation matches the efforts of the video side of things. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director John Frankenheimer delivers a terrific archival commentary track in which he recalls various aspects of the production including the development of different scenes, the shooting locations, editing techniques, the balance of real-life locations and studio sets, the visual aesthetic of the film, the casting and collaborative process, and much more that gives rich technical details that film nerds should appreciate.
- Close Up – Interview with Cinematographer Robert Fraisse: A 32-minute interview with the cinematographer in which he discusses his early career, getting involved with Ronin, working with Frankenheimer, the composition of various shots, how they pulled off certain scenes and more that is very illuminating.
- In The Ronin Cutting Room with Editor Tony Gibbs: A 19-minute interview with the editor in which he discusses his background in filmmaking, his intuition for how to cut certain scenes, working with Frankenheimer, some of the most intricate scenes and more.
- An Actor’s Process with Natascha McElhone: A 14-minute interview with the actress in which she discusses learning from Frankenheimer, the atmosphere on set, memories of her fellow performers and more.
- Composing The Ronin Score with Elia Cmiral: A 12-minute piece with the composer in which he discusses his early interest in making music, getting involved with Ronin, writing solely based on conversations with Frankenheimer, his motivation behind certain choices and more.
- The Driving Of Ronin with Stunt-Car Coordinator Jean-Claude Lagniez: A nearly 16-minute look at the man behind the thrilling stunts in which he discusses the art of driving for the camera, his background in racing, working with his stunt team, the reality of shooting these scenes and more.
- Through The Lens with Cinematographer Robert Fraisse: An 18-minute conversation with the cinematographer older than the one listed above in which he discusses more intricacies of filming this film.
- The Venice Film Festival Interviews with Robert De Niro, Natascha McElhone and Jean Reno: A 21-minute series of interviews with the performers in which they discuss working with Frankenheimer, their characters, the stunts in the film, the arc of the film and more.
- Ronin – Filming In The Fast Lane: An 18-minute piece which takes you behind the scenes of the making of this film with numerous on-set interviews and peeks at the filming of various scenes.
- Alternate Ending: The two-minute alternate ending is provided here.
- Trailers: There is a two-and-a-half minute trailer provided for Ronin. There are also trailers provided for The Manchurian Candidate, The Train, The Holcroft Covenant, 52 Pick-Up, True Confessions, Mad Dog and Glory, The Score and The Crimson Rivers.
Final Thoughts
Ronin occupies a strange place in the career of Robert De Niro. During the ‘90s, the icon was starring in some of the most acclaimed movies of his career with Goodfellas, Casino, Heat, Jackie Brown and more to his name. When you have such classics in the mix, it can make it a bit more difficult for an immensely rewarding movie like Ronin to shine through. That is a shame, though, as it blows so many movies from that time period out of the water, thanks in no small part to the mastery of John Frankenheimer. Every element is working together like a Swiss watch, and it only gets better the more you peel back the layers. Kino Classics has given this one a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade with an upper echelon A/V presentation and some rewarding legacy special features. You do yourself a disservice if you underestimate this one. Highly Recommended
Ronin is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.