Apr. 18, 2006 - 6:29 pm

Ronin (1998)

i borrowed this one from my boss, Stephen. Colin and Keith were also big fans of this movie i think, but i never saw it. i always heard that it had an awesome car chase scene in it, and it actually had quite a few. definitely exciting...you know, if you're into that sort of thing.

both Jill and i thought that the title was a character's name. probably Robert DeNiro. no, actually "ronin" is a term for a masterless samurai. it sort of describes what happens to a group of mercenaries throughout the film. a lot of smart crooks who need some money are brought together to steal a certain suitcase in France from some foreigners. they eventually disband and begin going after each other, all trying to get ahold of the case.

this movie has an interesting plot device in it which is called a McGuffin. this is a term coined by Alfred Hitchcock which means "a plot device that has no specific meaning or purpose other than to advance the story" (dictionary.com). the McGuffin in this movie is the ultra-important case. the case is likened to a big European ice skate case (within the film) and the contents are never revealed. it's just an item that everyone wants and will do just about anything to retrieve.

it was a good movie with lots of excitement and i enjoyed it. i don't think it was too deep or anything. just a good action film with good acting.