At the beginning of this action film directed by John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate), we learn that a warrior class of samurai were sworn to protect their liege lords with their lives. Those whose lords were killed suffered great shame. They were forced to wander the land looking for work as hired swords or bandits. These masterless warriors were no longer referred to as samurai — they were called Ronin.
Six strangers meet in a warehouse in Paris to work on a deadly mission together. Sam (Robert De Niro), a former CIA officer and expert strategist, joins Vincent (Jean Reno), a French coordinator; Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard), an Eastern bloc electronics wiz; Larry (Skipp Sudduth), an American driver; and Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), the Irish woman who has hired them. Their assignment is to hijack a well-guarded briefcase.
These operatives are given very little information, but they don't seem to mind — they're only in it for the money. Eventually, they must square off with the Russian Mafia and an Irish terrorist who also want the mysterious briefcase. These masterless warriors distrust each other, and eventually they all feel the sting of betrayal. The film vividly depicts the death and destruction they create in the lives of innocent bystanders by their recklessness. Ronin shows random violence as a real and present danger in the post-Cold War world.