Ronin
(1998/MGM Blu-ray)
Picture: B
Sound: B Extras: C- Film: B
PLEASE
NOTE: MGM has licensed the film to Arrow in a all-out
deluxe Blu-ray edition with plenty of extras, better sound and a new
4K transfer of the original camera negative you can read more about
at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15032/Bridgend+(2015/Icarus/Kimstim+DVD)/Cops+Vs
When the Cold
War ended and the entire Spy Genre did not know what to do with
itself, some smarter action films (Hyams' Narrow Margin,
Donaldson's White Sands) did emerge, but the genre soon
reinvented itself, but not before the thoughtful, action-packed John
Frankenheimer thriller Ronin (1998) was made. The film has an
all-star cast headed by Robert De Niro as one of several spies
involved for a long time in the espionage field, suddenly finding
themselves between hot and cold in a complex caper that opens some
old wounds.
The New World
Order constantly proves to be the Old World Order as they become
agents for pay (read 'Professional Western' like The Wild Bunch)
and soon discovers something more sinister is going on. Who can any
of the trust? Who is behind the chaos? Who will live and who will
die?
Well, except
for some of the bad guys having problems shooting the stars, the film
is very impressive, from its smart plot, to its stunning car chases
(one of the few anyone will remember since the 1960s) and acting
performances that make this more than just another actioner. This
was the great director's last major work and a decent-sized hit
people still talk about. De Niro is joined by a cast that has become
more familiar since its release, including Jean Reno, Sean Bean,
Johnathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, Natascha McElhone and Katarina
Witt. We also get an interesting appearance by Michael Lonsdale.
David Mamet
was originally a co-writer with J.D. Zeik, but had his name taken off
of the film when he was unhappy with some of it, while De Niro had an
ugly falling out with the French Government at the time that soured
his promoting the film. Over a decade later, it is still fresh and
could go a few rounds with most films of its kind since including the
last two Brosnan Bond films. Few serious Spy films have been made
since, which is all the more reason to rediscover Ronin, so
its arrival on Blu-ray is something to be happy about.
The 1080p
2.35 x 1 MPEG-2 @ 18 MBPS digital High Definition image may not be
totally what I had hoped from having seen it in a great 35mm print
when it opened, but it is still superior to the previous DVD version.
This was shot in the Super 35mm film format by Robert Fraisse in
what remains some of his best work, but there are some detail limits
and some motion blur here and there. France looks great and the
editing by Tony Gibbs is edgy and first-rate. The DTS HD Master
Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix is good and articulate, but also has some
limits versus how rich and strong it sounded in DTS-equipped theaters
and the old 12-inch analog DTS LaserDisc, which was state of the art
at the time. I recall the original soundmaster being 16-Bit PCM, but
the sound here is a tad warped at one point and the sound can be a
little more towards the screen at times, yet it sounds good when it
kicks in despite these limits. Though it cannot compete with the
latest films, maybe revisiting the original soundmaster for a later
deluxe edition would be a good idea.
That is
possible since there are only a few trailers here for the extras and
none of the other extras (like featurettes or feature-length
Frankenheimer audio commentary) that were really good. This is a
25GB Blu-ray and should have been a 50GB with new and old extras, but
maybe next time.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
