SummaryIn this action-thriller, Mel Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a wealthy executive whose charmed life is suddenly shattered when his young son is abducted and held for ransom by a gang of ruthless criminals. (BV Entertainment)
SummaryIn this action-thriller, Mel Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a wealthy executive whose charmed life is suddenly shattered when his young son is abducted and held for ransom by a gang of ruthless criminals. (BV Entertainment)
Mr. Howard has made Ransom in the same clean, swift, logical style that sent his "Apollo 13" into orbit, resulting in a spellbinding crime tale that delivers surprises right down to the wire.
Its major sin--a certain ineluctable improbability--is pretty much offset by the moments of winsome humanity Gibson finds for his freebooter; by the rich, nicely tuned portrayals of the other actors; and by director Ron Howard's smoothly professional mastery of yet another genre that is new to him.
Ransom is a 1996 crime thriller starring Mel Gibson, Delroy Lindo, Rene Russo and Gary Sinise...... Gibson plays Tom Mullen who's a millionaire and has a wife named Kate Mullen who's played by actress Rene Russo in the movie... Some weirdo named Jimmy Shaker (Gary Sinise) who's actually a cop believe it or not kidnaps Tom Mullen's (Mel Gibson) son and holds him for ransom demanding money or something while Mel Gibson is still trying find out who the kidnappers are and where they are and where his son is. It's a race against time to find his son alive instead of dead and Tom Mullen (Gibson) must follow Shakers (Gary Sinise) demands and cooperate however Shaker is not alone as the kidnapper because others are working with him and hiding the boy... Ransom is full of riveting performances, suspense, tension, intrigue and fairly decent acting. Violence and bad language is ever present in Ransom too and fairly well made I guess most of it.
Slick thrills and the star's blue eyes are enough to make Ransom the fall's monster hit. Instead, Howard and Gibson stake out a Moclock side in all of us that won't be banished, not even by a happy ending. I'll be damned.
Director Ron Howard makes too much of camera and editing tricks, as if momentarily confusing us about where a character is or which character's point of view the movie is taking will somehow deepen the narrative.
A reprehensible movie from just about every perspective, Ransom tries to justify the behavior of its lead character as something grounded in principle, but make no mistake about it: This is the act of a man who can't bear the thought of losing, a man who will turn the tables on his enemy at the risk of a beloved's death.
When I first went to see this it was an 18. Wow can’t believe it’s 1996 when this great thriller was made. Ok firstly it’s not a classic and it won’t be in many people’s top tens but the thing I like about this, it’s not your typical kidnap thriller. Ron Howard directs. Mel Gibson & Rene Russo star. Their boy Bradley Nolte (yes Nick Nolte’s son) gets kidnapped, the kidnappers want $2 million or the kid dies. Simple. But things don’t always go to plan as everyone knows. Just watch Man On Fire again a brilliant revenge thriller. But it’s the tension, the suspense, the twists and some very good performances from the cast. And Gary Sinise after his awesome performance in Apollo 13 turns in a very creepy but brilliant performance as the cop/baddie. I thinks it’s a brilliant thriller with a lot potential and yes some people won’t like it, that’s opinions and films for ya.
No More Negotiations.
Ransom
Howard's thriller drama respects the genre like never before. His focus to create a crisp tense environment is clearly visible and pays off more than enough. This is a more grounded version of such commercial films, it thrives more upon the drama than it does on antics. It also has a script that demands good performance from its cast, it gives them enough room and range to factor in equally. And even though there are few dodgy lumps and questions that can be raised here and there, in order to really enjoy Howard's thrill, it demands few plot points to be scoffed off immediately.
One of the best bits of the film is mapping out the territories of their characters, no matter how obvious or cheesy it may sound like, this is all a big bluff coming from Howard, and they way he puppeteers these characters on screen is his masterful skill. To be fair Howard has a balanced script, that dares explore on either side of the drama, one that challenges the antagonist politically and one that challenges the protagonist emotionally, separating them with clean sharp vocab lies Howard and his execution. Gibson as the devil himself, or so he claims to be, has a very potent but risky play to play.
And with Russo supporting him decently, this parenting part of the drama is in safe hands. Sinise, the antagonist, has a juicy role to play, brimmed with revelations and main antics of the script in his hand, he makes sure that the irritation communicates thoroughly if not the fear. Ransom is a mature if not smart tale of ego clashing head to head on screen, the result is stupendous that brings out a potential contender on both the side of the party, satisfying every last requirements of a weekend night.
Decent enough thriller, carried by a great performance by the legendary Mel Gibson. The plot is entertaining, but disintegrates into cartoonish nonsense the further on it goes. It feels like it doesn't know itself how seriously it should take itself, and maybe suffers a bit from that. Still, worth a watch.
Average at best and I hate Hollywood on remakes. I liked the original better with Ford even if it is a bit dated now. Nothing special here but worth a watch if bored.
