Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/Ronin

‘Ronin’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

April 23, 2020 · Ronin (1998) · Action · Crime · Thriller · 1:14:50

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 28:57De Niro turning on Sean Bean ('What's the color of the boat house, man?' / 'Draw it again' scene) and the first big shootout chase scene

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 30:54Is this a Neil Macaulay sequel? - questioning why De Niro didn't just play Neil again from Heat since the character is 50% there

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 39:43Test audiences hated the alternate ending that Frankenheimer preferred; mentions Katarina Witt as German figure skater who won gold medals and appears in movie as Russian skater; notes De Niro's camera technique for photographing the case
Chris Ryan▶ 39:46Confirms test audience reaction and Frankenheimer's preference for alternate ending; notes United Artists' influence on final cut decision; discusses Natasha McElhone being from England

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 44:59Sean Bean — Acknowledges Sean Bean but suggests he could also fit in Vincent Hanna category, doesn't commit to a pick
Chris Ryan▶ 44:47Sean Bean — Sean Bean as Ronan - argues he could be changing the name of the award with his performance

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 52:16De Niro kissing scenes (finds them gross), the shoehorned sexual tension between De Niro and Deirdre that comes out of nowhere with no build-up
Chris Ryan▶ 55:17The 70s-style score (wants it redone like Heat's score), the unnecessary love interest subplot added by Mamet, and subpar stunt work where young stunt doubles are obviously different from the middle-aged actors

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:01Skip Suddath
Chris Ryan▶ 57:04Michael Lonsdale — Michael Lonsdale, the model maker surgeon

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 57:22Skip Suddath in the recasting couch
Chris Ryan▶ 57:26Katarina Witt — Question about Katarina Vitt and Joey Pants casting

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:56Stellan Skarsgård — Stellan Skarsgård (citing this film plus Good Will Hunting in same year), movies with mysterious suitcases that get switched, late nineties France movies, and Nice (the city)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:11Stellan Skarsgård — Agreed on Stellan Skarsgård ('Apex Skarsgård'), disagreed on Katarina Witt (said her apex was Olympic medals), disagreed on John Frankenheimer (said Manchurian Candidate was his apex)

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:31Multiple quotes including 'either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution or you're just part of the landscape', 'Lady, I never walk into a place I don't know how to walk out of', and 'if you don't mind, I'm going to pass out'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:19'Tell me about an ambush. I ambushed you with a cup of coffee' and 'Man and a woman going for a walk and all that that entails'

Movies Referenced (66)

Heat (1995)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 14:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

First Blood (1982)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 46:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Speed (1994)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 31:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Focus (2015)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 34:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Good Will Hunting (1997)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 11:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Grand Prix (1966)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 16:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Midnight Run (1988)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 23:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 50:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sicario (2015)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Fugitive (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 8:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wag the Dog (1997)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 19:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

John Frankenheimer

43 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Seven Days in May▶ 6:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 10:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 31:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Levinson

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Rain Man, Wag the Dog▶ 20:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Hoffa

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Limitless, Furious 7, Creed▶ 19:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (36)

Robert De Niro

60 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver▶ 2:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Saoirse Ronan

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Atonement▶ 9:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Katarina Witt

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Ronin, Jerry Maguire▶ 38:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Bean

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 27:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Al Pacino

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 2:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vincent Hanna

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 22:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stellan Skarsgård

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Sentimental Value▶ 26:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Smith

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Men in Black, I Am Legend▶ 11:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Sea

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 14:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chuck Klosterman

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 28:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Farrell

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Lobster, In Bruges▶ 58:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ellen Barkin

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 52:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

David Mamet

14 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games▶ 3:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patch Adams

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Patch Adams▶ 15:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andy Greenwald

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 28:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Irving

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Cider House Rules, The World According to Garp▶ 26:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 49:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗