Robert De Niro Double Feature (Casino / The Deer Hunter)

Starring:Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Frank Vincent, Pasquale Cajano, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, Vinny Vella, Alan King, L.Q. Jones, Dick Smothers, Joseph Rigano, John Bloom, Melissa Prophet, Bill Allison, Gene Ruffini, Dominick Grieco, Erika von Tagen, Frankie Avalon
Director: Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A complicated movie about the Central Intelligence Agency and its agents, The Good Shepherd isn't your typical spy movie. Though it stars Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity films) and Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lara Croft franchise)--actors with considerable experience in the action-espionage genre--The Good Shepherd requires that they play more subdued and (much less interesting) characters here. The movie focuses on the career or Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged Yale graduate who goes on to help found the CIA. He is a quiet, serious, and guarded man, even in the most intimate moments with his civilian wife (Jolie, in a role that wastes her talent). Set against a backdrop of real-life events such as the Bay of Pigs, The Good Shepherd is meticulous in creating a realistic timeframe. The film gets a jolt of excitement when Robert DeNiro (in his first directing role since 1993's A Bronx Tale) peppers the screen with appearances by Joe Pesci, Alec Baldwin, and William Hurt. But those moments are too infrequent. At 157 minutes long, the film is crammed with many factual details, but the characters are shortchanged when it comes to development. Viewers have to wonder why anyone, much less someone like Wilson who has everything going for him, would devote his life to a thankless job that brings so little happiness to himself and his family. The Good Shepherd is an ambitious but flawed film. The actors do a formidable job with a well-intentioned but meandering script. However, we meet so many characters and learn so little about each that it's difficult to drum up much empathy for any of them. --Jae-Ha Kim

Description

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro star in this powerful thriller about the birth of the CIA. Edward Wilson (Damon) believes in America, and will sacrifice everything he loves to protect it. But as one of the covert founders of the CIA, Edward's youthful idealism is slowly eroded by his growing suspicion of the people around him. Everybody has secrets…but will Edward's destroy him? With an all-star cast including Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton and John Turturro, it's the gripping story David Ansen of Newsweek hails as "spellbinding."

Customer Reviews:

good shepard, BAD movie.......2007-07-05

Wow - I like all kinds of movies, and thought the combination of story, DiNiro and a great cast would make this a great flick...NOT. This is one of the most boring, overly complex and simply crappy movie I have ever seen. I thought the Larry the Cable Guy disaster 'Health Inspector' was the bottom of the barrel - we just found a new bottom with this one.

The main problem I find with this movie is the total focus on the dedicated, dull character Matt Damon plays. Mind you, there are a few great moments (especially when he talks to Pesci), but just no enough to make this 'compelling'. Acutally, when I see that word describing a movie on the box, I tend to think that this is really the only verb one could use because 'good' would be a stretch!

With all the really great and even mediocre movies out there, pass on this one...you'll be glad you did.

CIA spies.......2007-07-04

Movie was great - a little slow at times, but the subject matter was very interesting....

C.I.A. Confused I Am.......2007-07-03

The Good Shephard was one of those movies I had no desire to see in theaters so I rented it with a friend instead. I love movies that involve your complete attention and have to be watched more than once to catch everything- but this movie was terrible. It jumped around way too much and left little explanations for any actions that were performed. Unless you knew exactly what was going on during which year, and I'm assuming most people don't, then you become confused and aggravated trying desperatly to figure out what they are talking about. My friend was even more aggravated than I was.

I don't recommend the movie if you are looking to be educated on the birth of the CIA.

Also, there is violence and sexuality in this movie so it may not be appropriate for kids.

Boring as Heck !!!!!!.......2007-06-28

I like DeNiro, I like Damon, and I really like conspiracy movies. So I was really hyped to see this. Than I did...And it was the most boring movie I've ever seen!!! How can DeNiro who's been so fun to watch for the past 20 years and Matt Damon who I loved in the Ocean's 11, 12, and 13 movies suck it up so bad in this? Now the acting is really great and that's about the only redeeming quality about this movie, but I didn't see it to see great acting. I wanted to be entertained and this movie really didn't help there.

If you see it, than make sure your not sitting comfortably because your going to fall asleep. I did about 1 hour in and than woke up 5 mintues later to see that nothing exciting was happening and I fell back to sleep.

Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written.......2007-06-27

I had high expectations for this film - it was hyped up pretty good, and how could it not be with the all star cast. The imagery in the film was strong and compelling, as was the subject matter. For a contemporary film, I think they did a pretty good job of splicing historical aspects of the US's conflicts over the past 70 years, into a fictional (as far as I know?) film/story.

With that said, the characters were poorly developed, and the film itself lacked any real emotion. I think the best way to describe the flaw in this film is that I was aware I was watching a film - a good film makes you forget you're even watching a film, and you effortlessly empathize with the characters. The poor writing was directly responsible for this. The film was predictable as well - (spoiler warning) - you knew that the brother was going to tell Matt Damon that Angelina Jolie was pregnant was soon as you saw him on the beach - and, you knew that the poetry professor was going to come on to Matt Damon as soon as he said 'I'd like to see you in my office'...The formulaic Hollywood film factory at its best/worst.

Casino (Widescreen 10th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE
this one is a sure bet
LOVE IT!
Gambling in the desert
an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films

Casino (Widescreen 10th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods , and Frank Vincent
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007VZ9DK
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Amazon.com essential video

Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modeled after on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.) Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and GoodFellas), but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese! --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE.......2007-06-13

I ENJOYED THIS FILM. IT WAS ENTERTAINING FROM START TO FINISH. GREAT CAST,GREAT STORY,AND TRULY A CLASSIC.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM,A MUST SEE!!!

this one is a sure bet.......2007-05-12

this is the movie martin scorsese SHOULDA won his oscar for. instead it was deemed upon its release an inferior copycat of "goodfellas", what with the same director, writer, and stars, and a similar set of circumstances. this though is a quite different movie, and (imho) a superior one. while "goodfellas" is set among a highly parochial little group, the gangsters are only a part of the scene in "casino": its much more widespread a saga of greed and the corruption of stupidity. whereas joe pesci is a cartoon in the earlier film, here he is a fully fleshed out character. de niro (more a glorified supporting character in "goodfellas") offers an insightful reading of an ordinary man with one phenomenal talent (the ability to set the correct odds) who parlays it into a position of power for which he knows he is unqualified, yet enjoys the ride. and sharon stone gives the performance of her career as de niros unfaithful drug-addicted wife. excellent supporting work also from james woods, don rickles, and a host of unknowns cast as aged mob bosses, &c. not to mention a great job of art & costume direction, brilliant soundtrack, the amazing opening titles sequence, and so on. it might not be scorses most underrated movie (thats still the hated but brilliant "king of comedy") -- but it might well be his very best.

LOVE IT!.......2007-04-11

i looooooove this movie. Bob DeNiro is SO good in it. and Joe Pesci too. and of course especially Sharon Stone. wow, didn't realize she could act until i saw this. amazing acting. even down to the extras its good acting. it feels so real. and this movie has my all time fave scene; when Sam sees Ginger for the first time, and Mickey and Sylvia's "Love is strange" song comes on, and Gin makes a scene, throwing chips, and Sam, who can obviously stop and throw her out doesn't, but just stares mesmerized at her. and she know she's got him. she leaves looking at him and laughing. that scene is SO SEXY. this movie also has some good, old time songs. Scorcese really took his time to make this. but major WARNING: seriously, it's NOT FOR KIDS. even i can't watch manyo its scenes they are so realistic and gruesome. that's the only thing that i don't like about it, that it's violence makes it unwatchable some times. but isn't that still good b/c it shows what great acting it is?! if u don't watch this u haven't watched a real movie. one of the bset movies ever made!

Gambling in the desert.......2007-04-02

Great performances by all-star cast. Martin Scorsese shows why he's the best action director in the business. Diniro, Sharon Stone and James Woods are the imperfect love triangle. And Pesci is Pesci. Must see mob movie.

an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films.......2007-03-15

I was shocked at the crudeness of this film: it is like Scorsese took the best moments from a number of his films and strung them together to make a thriller about some horrible thugs: a guy gets his head put into a vice for cheating, Sharon Stone is too beautiful to fit in, Pesci gets it in a car, etc. It just didn't hang together, the story felt flat, and there was little smoothness to the narrative flow. This is Scorsese's worst by far.

Average customer rating:

Casino
What a film
Great Movie
Great but flawed
excellent movie, and quality

Casino
Starring: Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods , and Frank Vincent
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000C20VPA
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Customer Reviews:

Casino.......2007-07-03

We received our purchase in a timely manner and it was is good shape. This was a pleasant experience.

What a film.......2007-07-02

The downfall of this empire is a beauty to watch. This film is actually terrifying in its realistic portrayal of how the greatest of things can crumble to mere...crumbs. This film is a powerhouse, a knockout, it is phenomenal in its storytelling, acting (which is too realistic), direction (Martin, baby) and poignant ability to make you believe that this can happen to anyone.

Great Movie.......2007-06-25

Casino is a underdog for sure, it did get some awards and whatnot but it did not do as well in the public eye as say Goodfellas. But enough of that, the movie was well written and Sharon Stone was phenomenal in this true story about a real casino boss Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, play as Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro). It was Flimed in Las Vegas in front of the (now tore down)Landmark Hotel and flimed in the Riviera. The Flim was based on the Stardust Casino & Hotel(also now tore down). Some great acting all around with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Alan King, and Don Rickles. Not the best, it's almost as good as Goodfellas but still a 5-Star Classic. (Sorry about Grammar!)

Great but flawed.......2007-06-20

If Scorcese hadn't already done 'Goodfellas' this would probably be a 5 star film, but Goodfellas came first and this second. Still its a dam good movie but flawed. At 178 minutes its way too long and whilst I like the over-dubbed narration that Scorcese uses in some films, there's too much in this one, especially at the start.

OK enough gripes, Joe Pesci is terrifying again, DeNiro is excellent and best of all Sharon Stone gives a fabulous performance and was deservedly nominated for best actress in the 1996 Academy awards. Naturally this being a Scorcese picture there are some classic moments, and some of them are extremely unpleasant.

If you haven't seen Goodfellas you'll probably love this. If you have then you'll see that it is the work of a master filmmaker, but its not quite up to the same standard as his earlier masterpiece.

excellent movie, and quality.......2007-05-12

I was very pleased with the quality and price of the DVD. I will remain doing business with Amazon. I like the variety of products.

Average customer rating:

good shepard, BAD movie
CIA spies
C.I.A. Confused I Am
Boring as Heck !!!!!!
Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written

The Good Shepherd (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Matt Damon , Robert De Niro , Keir Dullea , and Michael Gambon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B000MXPE7Y
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

good shepard, BAD movie.......2007-07-05

CIA spies.......2007-07-04

Movie was great - a little slow at times, but the subject matter was very interesting....

C.I.A. Confused I Am.......2007-07-03

Boring as Heck !!!!!!.......2007-06-28

Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written.......2007-06-27

Average customer rating:

A Must OWN HD DVD!
Is it just me...
A good performance from Sharon
A pretty good movie
What a picture !

Casino (HD DVD)
Starring: Frank Adonis , Steve Allen , Frankie Avalon , Joseph Bono , and Clem Caserta
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000JJSJR8
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Description

Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci star in director Martin Scorsese's riveting look at how blind ambition, white-hot passion and 24-karat greed toppled an empire. Las Vegas, 1973, is the setting for this fact-based story about the Mob's multimillion-dollar casino operation, where fortunes and lives were made and lost with a roll of the dice.

Customer Reviews:

A Must OWN HD DVD!.......2007-06-15

Though its over 10 years old, the picture of this HD DVD looks as if it was filmed recently in HD! It also includes WBs bookmarking so you can create custom bookmarks and favorite scenes! Joe Pesci and Robert Deniro do a fantastic job displaying Mob activity in 70's Vegas Casinos in all of its HD Glory! Universal has done a stunning job with the HD transfer and 5.1 sound. Start your HD DVD mob collection right with Casino and Goodfellas on HD DVD!

Is it just me..........2007-04-28

...or is this the darkest black comedy ever made? I just find Casino so amusing and funny that I hardly even notice the grim violence and harrowing drama. I also think that Casino is far, far superior to the over-rated Goodfellas. Even though it's longer, it passes in a breeze. Casino is just so colorful, multi-layered and intricate despite it's apparent simplicity. The film has three different characters narrating the story but none of it feels like exposition and it's never over-bearing.

Adapted from a true story, the film focuses on the fictional Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. The boss is Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, his wife, volatile hustler Ginger and his psychotic 'friend' Nicky Santoro. All they needed to do was to keep the cash-flow at the Casino steady to satisfy the bosses back home. But it was just never meant to be. And everything implodes at the end.

Casino is filled with dozens of sub-plots, tangent stories and brilliant side-characters. James Woods is especially funny as a lowlife con-man who can't even win a fight with a ten-year-old girl. Vinny Vella also amuses as long-suffering Artie Piscano. But it's Sharon Stone who walks away with the movie. Despite starring opposite loads of well-established male lead actors she owns Casino. She was absolutely robbed at the Academy Awards when they gave the Oscar to Susan Sarandon. Stone delivered a performance so authentic that it's truly unfair the amount of criticism she gets for her other, less-important films.

The violence will satisfy gore fans. In this lovely film we have a dope with his head in a vice (after getting icepicks in his balls), a truly brutal beating with baseball bats, some moron getting a pen shoved into his neck and a cheater getting his hand mashed by a hammer. Don't let this put you off, that was the old Vegas. Nowadays you just get told not to come back.

I know most people will call it sacrilege to condemn Goodfellas but Casino is just the better film of the two, plain and simple. Better lighting, far more impressive cinematography and more entertaining characters. It just has so much going for it that Goodfellas did not.

The 1080p HD DVD is absolutely stunning and is surely reference quality stuff. The Dolby Digital+ sound is also amazing and there are plenty of extras. A total must-have.

A good performance from Sharon.......2007-04-24

At 178 minutes long, I was expecting to be bored throughout this film, despite everyone raves about this film, along with Goodfellas. And although I did get a bit restless during it, I did find myself sucked into the film and actually trying to work out what was going to come next.

It starts off with a shocking scene, and then is told in retrospective (or so you think), from ten years previously. I certainly sat up straight up when the film started, as this is the scene you're not expecting. Although when it's repeated towards the end, it does tend to go OTT, by showing it from every angle, and showing the viewer what exactly happened.

Visually, the film is very bright, with the neon lights of the casino, and Robert De Niro's colour blinding suits (who puts pink & orange together?!) Honestly when he first walked onto the screen, I thought his wardrobe was made up by a colour-blind person, as most of his suits were OTT bright, or clashed severely. The brightness of the casino is so well done in HD, you almost start to feel like you're there, it's so real, and captures the bright lights of Vegas perfectly.

I thought Sharon Stone's role was the best out of the entire film, as her character goes through such a journey during the film, and the physical changes in her character are shocking. Her character of Ginger is an ex-hooker, who marries Robert De Niro's character, despite not loving him in the slightest. I think she was seeing dollar signs before her eyes. She becomes a mother, and also turns to drink, which ultimately, leads to a shocking end.

This film is definitely not for the fainthearted. There's a closeup scene of someone snorting cocaine, and Sharon's character, Ginger, snorts some in front of her daughter. The F word is said a grand total of 422 times, a bit unnecessary, including in the narration, which makes it a total of 2.4 times per MINUTE on average. The chain smoking is quite harsh as well, as Robert De Niro constantly had a cigarette in his hand in nearly every single scene. (I pity any non-smoking crew on set.) It was necessary to portray what it was like in those days, when smoking was considered classy, and not frowned upon as it is today. I expected there to be some continuity problems that accompanies a chain-smoking character but Robert always held his cigarettes the same distance from the lit end so that their lengths never appear to change.

This film impressed me, and I can imagine it looks so much better in HD, so it would definitely be better than the old regular DVD. But everyone lumping it along with Goodfellas doesn't bode well, cos everyone HAS to like Goodfellas it seems. It's definitely one to watch on HD, and with a TV that's more like a cinema screen would be good too!

A pretty good movie.......2007-03-12

Overall, I enjoyed the movie very much. It was much better than I expected it to be. The picture was good and it is one of my favourite mafia movies. I would say it is worth the money to go get it. Joe Pesci did a great job playing part of the mafia.

What a picture ! .......2007-02-19

I mean that statement in two ways. First, in my humble opinion, this is Martin Scorcese at his finest. This is better than Goodfellas by a wide margin. All of the regulars give awesome performances in this (even Sharon Stone, who I can't stand!). If you like mafia pictures, this is the BEST one to own. I also mean that it's a great picture due to the fact that it's on HD-DVD. The picture is astonishingly vivid and clear and the lights of Las Vegas really jump out of the television. It's almost 3-D ! The extras are ample, but I'd say adequate. That's the reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5. There is the obligitory commentary, deleted scenes, and a couple featurettes. It's all whipped cream and a cherry on top of an excellent sundae ! I do like that you can watch the extras and the movie at the same time with commentary running. This and Batman Begins are the reasons you should own an HD DVD player ! Note: I have the HD DVD drive attached to my Xbox 360 and it works brilliantly !

Average customer rating:

Too often overlooked
Great movie for any collection.
Ronin
Ronin
Ronin

Ronin
Starring: Robert De Niro , Jean Reno , Natascha McElhone , Stellan Skarsgård , and Sean Bean
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305263248
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Amazon.com essential video

Robert De Niro stars as an American intelligence operative adrift in irrelevance since the end of the Cold War--much like a masterless samurai, a.k.a. "ronin." With his services for sale, he joins a renegade, international team of fellow covert warriors with nothing but time on their hands. Their mission, as defined by the woman who hires them (Natascha McElhone), is to get hold of a particular suitcase that is equally coveted by the Russian mafia and Irish terrorists. As the scheme gets underway, De Niro's lone wolf strikes up a rare friendship with his French counterpart (Jean Reno), gets into a more-or-less romantic frame of mind with McElhone, and asserts his experience on the planning and execution of the job--going so far as to publicly humiliate one team member (Sean Bean) who is clearly out of his league. The story is largely unremarkable--there's an obligatory twist midway through that changes the nature of the team's business--but legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer (Seconds, The Manchurian Candidate) leaps at the material, bringing to it an honest tension and seasoned, breathtaking skill with precision-action direction. The centerpiece of the movie is an honest-to-God car chase that is the real thing: not the how-can-we-top-the-last-stunt cartoon nonsense of Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), but a pulse-quickening, kinetic dance of superb montage and timing. In a sense, Ronin is almost Frankenheimer's self-quoting version of a John Frankenheimer film. There isn't anything here he hasn't done before, but it's sure great to see it all again. --Tom Keogh

Description

In a world where loyalties are easily abandoned and allegiances can be bought, a new and deadlier terrorist threat has emergedfree agent killers! Featuring "high-octane action" (Gene Shalit, "Today"), a "first-rate cast" (L.A. Daily News) and exhilarating car chases that "are nothing short of sensational" (The New York Times), Ronin is "the real deal in action fireworks" (Rolling Stone) directed by "a master of intelligent thrillers" (Roger Ebert). The Cold War may be over, but a new world order keeps a group of covert mercenaries employed by the highest bidder. These operatives, known as "Ronin," 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 asother underworld organizations vie for the same prize...and to get the job done, the members of Ronin must do something they've never done beforetrust each other!

Customer Reviews:

Too often overlooked.......2007-05-17

I agree with previous positive reviews. This film met little commercial success in theaters, but it seems to have grown legs in DVD release, enough to warrant a special edition 2-disc release. It deserves it. Great film for all the aforementioned reasons.

Great movie for any collection........2007-05-13

This is a movie of a bygone era. Today the plots are all either paper thin or incredibly complex, but they give you enough clues to figure it out. This movie is so complex and has so many twists it is awesome but you might don't feel like it is handed to you. This is a product of a bygone era and the car chases are the best since bullet. Realistic yes, the stunt drivers knew their stuff and they performed excellently. The shooting is done quite realistically, and the guns are interesting and exotic (foreign) as well. It is cool too, to see Europe but a different view than most, we see some of the slums and regular parts of Europe. All-in all this is an amazing movie with a great plot, great acting, and great action. This is not for the casual Hollywood inaccurate action/suspense flick guy. Well, this is for everyone; but those who know stuff about guns won't be disappointed because there are no inaccuracies. Those disappointed by the surreal car crashes in Hollywood, will find solace here, with three realistic ones. Those that hate the paper thin plots will feel alive with this movie. Two-huge thumbs up!

Ronin.......2007-03-22

Worth watching for the car chases alone, good film, cracking pace, great acting, you can see where they got the ideas for the "Bourne" series watching this, another Jean Reno must see!

Ronin.......2007-03-12

Ronin is a lesson in how to combine minimalism with an effort to be all things at once. Ronin works well as a heist picture, and as such can be put on a double-bill with Ocean's Eleven. Ronin is a relentless action extravaganza that pairs off well with Speed. Ronin is part espionage thriller, and could be watched along with one of the Mission Impossible movies. Or, forget about Ocean's Eleven, Speed, and Mission Impossible, and just watch Ronin, especially if you haven't seen it.

In Paris, an Irish woman called Deirdre hires several cloak-and-dagger types, of varying backgrounds, to steal a mysterious briefcase from some fella who wants to sell it to some Russian bidders. A natural leader of the team emerges--Sam, played by Robert De Niro. Even the early scenes, where Sam meets his edgy associates and quietly takes their measure, allow us to see how formidable an opponent he would make for anyone trying to hang onto invaluable luggage, or anyone who might be thinking of double-crossing him. We see he is no stranger to black-bag operations, he is not afraid to ask key questions that may save his life, he knows how to smile and keep his own secrets so they can't be used against him, he assesses peoples' weak points from a few hints, and he is a master of anticipating what lies ahead and laying contingency plans. This comes to serve him in great stead when the mission goes horribly wrong and he can't manage to liberate the invaluable suitcase and people double-cross him. Various picturesque areas of France come off the worse for the resulting car chases, gun battles, hostage-grabbings, sniper attacks, slashings and beatings. Sam and Vincent--Vincent (Jean Reno) seeming to be the only teammate he can trust--fight their way through all obstacles but never manage to get within about ten feet of the precious case before fate, or a betrayer, takes it beyond their grasp. Then all of Sam's smarts can't help him as he takes a bullet through a bullet-proof vest.

This film is a sleek, streamlined affair that does not have the time or interest in letting us know too much about the characters. From a person's accent, some lines of chitchat or verbal sparring, one has to fill in the gaps, between cars streaking by or shootouts erupting in the streets. Always, always, it is about pursuing the prize past the bloody victims of whomever has decided to grab the briefcase and run. The plot thrives because things go wrong--unlike watching Ocean's Eleven where we are to be dazzled by everything going right. And things go wrong to excess in Ronin because no one does what they are supposed to do, everyone has their own agenda, everyone wants to win big by keeping the payoff money and the briefcase. Sam plays this game very well but soon there is so much chaos that it is unclear whether he will live long enough to see what is in the case.

The actors--De Niro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, and Natascha McElhone, among other familiar faces--all bow to the briefcase's domination of their enclosed and violent world, and with their edgy, tight-lipped, shifty-eyed, sometimes paranoid, interaction, make us interested in who they are and what will happen to them, despite complete dossiers on them being denied us. Even the film Speed gave us more human-interest stuff than what we get in Ronin, so if you really want to be hanging on by the tips of your fingers while a film races along, forget Speed. And if you're more curious about what ex-spies and disgraced spooks do to earn money and get the thrill of danger than you are about pretty-boy goody-goody type spies with everlasting consciences, then pick Ronin over MI3.

What was in the briefcase everyone wants: maybe a copy of Ronin. Enjoy.

Ronin.......2007-02-12

Great film with drama and action what more can you ask from a film!!!!!

Average customer rating:

good shepard, BAD movie
CIA spies
C.I.A. Confused I Am
Boring as Heck !!!!!!
Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written

The Good Shepherd [HD DVD]
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Matt Damon , Robert De Niro , Keir Dullea , and Michael Gambon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000MXPE88
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

good shepard, BAD movie.......2007-07-05

CIA spies.......2007-07-04

Movie was great - a little slow at times, but the subject matter was very interesting....

C.I.A. Confused I Am.......2007-07-03

Boring as Heck !!!!!!.......2007-06-28

Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written.......2007-06-27

Average customer rating:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE
this one is a sure bet
LOVE IT!
Gambling in the desert
an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films

Casino
Starring: Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods , and Frank Vincent
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Universal Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783225792
Release Date: 1998-02-24

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE.......2007-06-13

I ENJOYED THIS FILM. IT WAS ENTERTAINING FROM START TO FINISH. GREAT CAST,GREAT STORY,AND TRULY A CLASSIC.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM,A MUST SEE!!!

this one is a sure bet.......2007-05-12

LOVE IT!.......2007-04-11

Gambling in the desert.......2007-04-02

an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films.......2007-03-15

Casino (Full Screen 10th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE
this one is a sure bet
LOVE IT!
Gambling in the desert
an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films

Casino (Full Screen 10th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods , and Frank Vincent
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007VZ9DU
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

PRETTY GOOD MOVIE.......2007-06-13

I ENJOYED THIS FILM. IT WAS ENTERTAINING FROM START TO FINISH. GREAT CAST,GREAT STORY,AND TRULY A CLASSIC.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM,A MUST SEE!!!

this one is a sure bet.......2007-05-12

LOVE IT!.......2007-04-11

Gambling in the desert.......2007-04-02

an awful and exagerrated pastiche from Scorsese's better films.......2007-03-15

Average customer rating:

Ronin (UMD Mini for PSP)
Starring: Féodor Atkine , Sean Bean , Bernard Bloch , Robert De Niro , and Michel Lonsdale
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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ASIN: B000B5IP9C
Release Date: 2005-11-01

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