Ronin – Kino Lorber (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK/France/USA, 1998
Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: J.D. Zeik, David Mamet
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, Skipp Sudduth, Michael Lonsdale, Jan Tríska, Jonathan Pryce, Ron Perkins, Féodor Atkine, Katarina Witt

Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 121 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $39.95

"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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master – from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative."

Ronin comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 91.4 GB

Feature: 89.5 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent; it is an outstanding presentation that is easily the best Ronin has ever looked at on home video. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Ronin comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44 GB

Feature: 34 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. You can’t go wrong with either audio track; they both sound excellent. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English subtitles for all dialog and a second removable English subtitle track for French and Russian dialog.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with director John Frankenheimer.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), alternate ending (1 minute 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Ronin - Filming in the Fast Lane (17 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Venice Film Festival interviews with Robert De Niro, Natascha McElhone and Jean Reno (20 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with cinematographer Robert Fraisse titled Through the Lens (17 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with stunt-car coordinator Jean-Claude Lagniez titled The Driving of Ronin (15 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Elia Cmiral titled Composing the Ronin Score (11 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Natascha McElhone titled An Actor’s Process (13 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with editor Tony Gibbs titled In the Ronin Cutting Room (18 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Close-Up: interview with cinematographer Robert Fraisse (31 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with John Frankenheimer. 

Other extras include a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Directed by John Frankenheimer, whose other notable films include Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate, The Train, Seven Days in May, Seconds, and 52 Pick-Up.

The narrative revolves around a former U.S. intelligence agent who now works as a freelancer and accepts a job to recover a mysterious package.

By the time John Frankenheimer directed Ronin, he had already established an extraordinary resume that firmly puts him among the greatest American filmmakers. His most revered films are in the thriller genre.

Content-wise, Ronin has all the ingredients one would want or expect from an action/thriller hybrid film. The premise is well executed, and the narrative does a great job creating and sustaining tension. And nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to obtaining the case that multiple individuals are willing to kill for.

Another area where Ronin excels is how the aforementioned case becomes a character in its own right. And this was achieved via the Hitchcockian device known as a McGuffin. The quest to recover and find out what is inside the case is an afterthought by the time Ronin’s moment of truth arrives.

Ronin has an ensemble cast that is all excellent in their respective roles. The most surprising performance is Natascha McElhone (Solaris) in the role of Deirdre, the ringleader who hires a group of specialists to help her recover the aforementioned case. Another performance of note is Jean Reno (Léon) in the role of Vincent, one of the men hired by Deirdre. He delivers a subdued performance that does a superb job of offsetting the more operatic performances.

Visually, Ronin delivers in spades, and nowhere is more evident than when it comes to the way it takes full advantage of the scenic locations. Like a scene in which the men who have been hired by Deirdre are ambushed in an exchange that turns into a bloody shootout. And an exhilarating car chase through Nice culminates after one of the cars drives off an area of the freeway that is under construction. Ultimately, Ronin is an exceptional action/thriller hybrid that quickly draws you into its web of deceit and keeps you on the edge of your seat with a superb finale that perfectly culminates the events that preceded.

Ronin gets an exceptional release from Kino Lorber that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer