Ronin 4K UHD (2-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]

My fourth iteration of this movie! Had VHS, have special edition on DVD, love watching on Blu Ray and now look forward to seeing it in its new transfer to 4K! Glad that all the original graininess is still here as it sets the mood of the film. I watch this at least once a year and still enjoy story, acting and action!

Ronin is one of those films that gets better with age, like a fine wine it just tastes so good when you revisit it years later, what’s more it has a cast of actors who all excel in their jobs, i particularly liked De Niro, Jean Reno and Natascha McElhone in their respective roles but everyone does a great acting job here.I never give plot details away in a review, I won’t do here either, if you are interested in this 4K disc you probably already know the plot details, just know this, the disc is superb, bags of fine detail because they have left the film grain alone, very filmic, very detailed image quality, it’s never looked better, this film hails from the digital age, it has a dts 5.1 mix on the disc and sounds good too, it’s not as aggressive as some mixes but the rears kick in when they need to and if you use a Mini DSP you can get the bass back too, unfortunately ALL film companies now filter the bass away under 30hz, a Mini DSP and the relevant file gets that bass back.I am very pleased with this release, extremely good film, and it’s a great UHD 4k disc.

Ronin came along at a time when the spy genre was finding its second wind. 007 had bombastically come back to screens, Mission:Impossible was reimagined for the movies in a fine romp, whilst The Saint proved that Val Kilmer was NOT Simon Templer. And then there is Ronin. A film that could not have been more different than the fun, and naive films of the same genre. Right from the moment we hear Elia Cmiral's score, we know this isn't going to be a fun breezy romp, but a slick, old school reminder on how said films were perceived in the 70s. Hard hitting with its visceral car chases, and unapologetic of its violence and of its, frankly, ridiculous plot and Macguffin, Ronin should have been a welcome reminder that mixed the hard bitten post Cold War mentality with the star stunned international caper romps of the 60s. Instead Ronin became a film that was perceived as a dark and cynical, totally the opposite of action romps like Tomorrow Never Dies and was no small surprise it had difficulty finding its audience. I remember first seeing Ronin on opening day in September 1998, and right from the outset this was a film that stood apart from other blockbusters of the era... Dark, minimalist, unapologetic, beautfiully shot, and brilliantly paced... Ronin was the perfect antidote to the likes of Armageddon and Godzilla. However instead of wowing audiences, the film was pulled out of my local cinema a week later to make way for Spielberg's overrated war epic Saving Private Ryan. Thankfully home video was a mainstay and the film found its audience soon enough.Ronin was always a controversial choice on DVD and Blu-Ray, with the first pressings of each format in the late 90s and late 00's leaving a lot to be desired with a terrible soundtrack for the former and a gaudy cheap picture quality for the latter. Arrow Video (I'm still surprised they have released this film) thankfully brings the film to the upper echolon's it deserves, with a brilliant DTS-HD soundtrack that was used in the original blu-ray release, and a 4K transfer that leaves previous presentations of 90s classics out in the cold. The picture quality is superb and I really doubt it would be impoved. Dark settings and shadows are beautifully realised, the muted colours are natual and never crushes the image. Grain is obviously evident due to the fact that this was shot on celliloid and actually emphasis the gritiness of the film and I'll take even grain over DNR anyday of the week.The extras (with the exception of a few interviews) have been ported over from the MGM 2 disc edition DVD released over 10 years ago, and its great to see them here finally on blu ray.Ronin really is a strange character of a film, sure it harkons back to some of the action films of the 70s, but it also anticipates the return of the said cynical, hard hitting films of the past as would be exemplified by The Bourne Identity. The initial Bourne trilogy may have been a phenomenon that rewrote the rules of the genre, but Ronin tried to do it first.

1st class product and service

This is a top notch action flick back then, still holds up even until today. Kino’s 4k is stunning and upgraded sound and extras. Highest recommendation !!

Very good value especially with DTS sound

Another Superb Release from Kino 4kMine arrived from the US to Uk within 5 days, Also it came with a SLipcoverThe picture quality is again as expected from Kino superb, loads of detail and black levels superb, colours pop and gives a filmic presentation, like owning your own prin of the film!!

I've owned a few different copies of this, from the original dvd to the recent remaster, but the 4K disk is a big step up. Stunning image, well worth the upgrade.

awesome movie, great visuals, love the directors commentary A++++ a must buy

Lots of action, including two of the best car chases in film history, if not of a generation. Better than anything Fast & Furious. Plenty of suspense and double-crosses to keep you wondering who to trust.

One of my favorite movies with DeNiro, I replaced my original DVD with Bluray for the added pleasure.Fantastic.

Bien reçu rien n'a dire livraison express respect au livreur 👏 👏 👏

100 % OK Goede verzending en besteld item beantwoorde volledig aan de beschrijvingvan de verkoper ( uiterst tevreden ):-):-):-)