This list is for characters that appear in the film Ronin (1998).
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Mercenaries
A quintet of men who are all former special operations personnel hired to steal a case.
- Former Regime Personnel: All of them are ex-government agents put out of work by the fall of the USSR and obliged to become mercenaries.
Sam
Sam
Played by: Robert De Niro
An former CIA agent hired to steal a valuable case with unknown contents.
- Break Out the Museum Piece: Spence notes that his pistol of choice, a .45, is an old gun. He responds by saying that it's served his country well.
- Crazy-Prepared: His meticulousness and caution is what makes him an operative. His Establishing Character Moment has him spend several minutes hovering around a meeting place, before hiding his gun outside and checking the viability of the rear exit as an escape route. During the preparation for the heist, he's the one always asking questions and performing surveillance to make sure there are no surprises that could get him killed. In the end, it's his paranoia that saves the team more than once.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: At the Arles Amphitheater, he manages to take out Sergi's partner at long range with a pistol.
- The Leader: His part in the group. Sam has an equal balance of combat and strategic skills that allows him to take charge of the group.
- The Mole: He actually still works for the CIA.
- Oh, Crap!: When he finds silver paint on his hands and realizes that Gregor, who allegedly gave him the case, switched out the case and gave Sam one with a bomb inside.
- Samurai: A modern-day version, since he still works for his government instead of being an out-of-work mercenary like the rest of the team.
- Shoot the Hostage Taker: Takes out Sergi's partner after he took a hostage by shooting him at long-range.
- Walking Armory: Sam carries the largest variety of weapons, from a Colt M1991A1 Series 80 pistol, a SIG-Sauer P228 pistol, a SIG SG 551 assault rifle, a FN MINIMI-Para Mk 2 machine gun, a Heckler & Koch HK69A1 grenade launcher, and a LAW66 rocket launcher, the last four of which are used in the ambush in Nice alone.
Vincent
Vincent
Played by: Jean Reno
A French agent who is hired to steal the case.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Sam's life during the climax by shooting Seamus.
- Combat Pragmatist: Uses gadgets to change the traffic lights and a gunfire simulator to distract the Mooks in Nice.
- The Face: His part in the group. Vincent is full of contacts and can get any equipment or information needed with just a few phone calls or visits.
- The Lancer: To Sam.
- Noodle Incident: Whatever happened in Vienna where he encountered Sergi.
- Perma-Stubble: A trademark of Jean Reno characters.
Gregor
Gregor
Played by: Stellan Skarsgård
A German agent hired to steal the case.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Gregor wears glasses and is the group's traitor.
- Hey, Catch!: Early in the film, Sam offers to pour Gregor coffee and deliberately knocks the cup (made of metal) off the table. Gregor catches it.Sam: Good reflexes.Gregor: Oh yeah. They die hard.
- Kick the Dog: Tries to shoot a little girl just to make a point about how ruthless he is.
- Mission Control: His part in the group. Gregor's task is to plan the original heist, follow everyone from his computer and give them information and directions.
- Oh, Crap!: When he realizes that the Russians want to kill him.
- The Smart Guy: Gregor's specialty is computers. He seems to be more skilled than being a computer expert, as Sam learns when he tests Gregor's reflexes with a coffee cup.
- Too Clever by Half: He really, really thought that he could prevent the Russians from murdering him in the final exchange if he had their leader's girlfriend held hostage. Unfortunately he underestimated the leader's capacity for cruelty, and only had a split second to figure it out before he was filled with lead.
- Would Hurt a Child: Shown when he casually aims his pistol at a little girl at a playground, just to show what he'd do to someone he didn't know, compared to someone he doesn't like.
Spence
Spence
Played by: Sean Bean
A purportedly ex-military British agent hired to steal the case.
- The Big Guy: His part in the group, hired for his experience in direct combat. Too bad it's all fake.
- Blinded by the Light: During the first shootout, the buyers shine headlights in his face."Shit! I can't see! I can't see!"
- Out-of-Character Alert: Spence is an ex-SAS soldier - allegedly - but his tactical sense is dangerously lacking and his reaction to the group's first firefight is that of someone who has never been shot at before.
- Phony Veteran: Claims to be ex-SAS, but Sam sees through it. Sam asks him what colour the boathouse is at Hereford and he clearly doesn't know. Although, Sam admits he doesn't either.
- Put on a Bus: After being outed as a fake.
Larry
Larry
Played by: Skipp Sudduth
Another former American agent hired to steal the case.
- Badass Driver: His main role in the group. Hired specifically to drive the getaway vehicle.
- Sacrificial Lion: The first of the mercenaries to die.
- Slashed Throat: While Larry waits for Sam and Vincent at the Arles Amphitheater, Seamus sneaks inside the backseat and cuts his throat.
Other Characters
Deirdre
Deirdre
Played by: Natascha McElhone
An Irish woman who hires the mercenaries to steal the case.
- Fake Relationship: As part of the stakeout, Deirdre and Sam pretend to be a husband and wife.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Disappears during the climax when Sam reveals that he's still CIA.
Seamus
Seamus O'Rourke
Played by: Jonathan Pryce
Deirdre's boss and member of the IRA.
- Big Bad: It's he who sets the plot in motion and much of the film is spent trying to get the case away from him.
- Combat Pragmatist: Uses a car door to trip up Gregor.
- Impersonating an Officer: Disguises himself as a cop in order to get the case from the Russians.
- In the Back: Seamus has Sam at gunpoint and is about to kill him when Vincent comes up behind him and shoots him.
- Voice Changeling: He is able to affect several different accents to maintain his cover.
