Ronin ( 1998 ) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1998 and running a bit long at 122 minutes,this film delivers lots of action after a slow start but very little story.Thats why I took 1 and 1/2 stars off + there's a lot of collateral damage as well.As best as I can make out its a scheme by the CIA to catch a IRA terrorist to facilitate a end to the"unpleasantness".A + cast headed by Robert De Niro as Sam and Jean Reno as Vincent and finally Natascha McElhone as Deirdre ,note first name only characters,deliver fine performances even if the story is murky,but the shoot outs,and car chases are great even though a lot of bystanders bite the bullet.Trailer URL below the pix and IMDB summary below.I know the story of the "Ronin"in Japanese warrior lore,but I don't really get here.

A freelancing former US intelligence agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by both the Irish and the Russians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGbCQczril0