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‘Ronin’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

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

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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 Best

Bill Simmons▶ 50:44On the briefcase MacGuffin: deliberately between aged best and aged worst — 'a new category called what's-aged-the-I-don't-know'; enjoys never finding out what's in it, but in the late '90s it felt too close to Pulp Fiction's briefcase, and he still can't decide

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 (67)

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 (37)

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 Hanna, 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 · Known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring▶ 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, S.W.A.T.▶ 58:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ellen Barkin

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension▶ 52:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

David Mamet

14 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games, State and Main▶ 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 Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 49:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗