User reviews

This is definitely one of those films that grabs a hold of you and does not seem to want to let go.Ron Howard's excellent direction and Mel Gibson giving perhaps the performance of his career make this film worth seeing.Those of us who have children, although many of us may not have the courage to push the limits as Gibson's character did here,may appreciate this movie more so than those who do not.In fact,I might have been more reserved and cautious,even though I love my son just as much.This is a definite thrill ride from start to finish,and if you have a strong enough heart to handle it,then this film is definitely for you.

After being reminded how good an actor Mel Gibson can be in Expendables 3, I have decided to revisit some of his earlier work.

This time around i decided to watch 1996's Ransom.

I saw this in the cinema when it was released, but for some reason I have never revisited it. And I had totally forgotten how good this movie is!!

All the cast are superb. I cannot praise them highly enough here. Gibson who has contributed some tough fisted, hard as nails characters over the years is perfect as the vulnerable panic stricken father. Re teaming with Gibson after Lethal Weapon 3 is Rene Russo who is excellent as the desperate mother. Gary Sinese, Delroy Lindo, Donnie Whalberg, Liev Shrieber and Paul Guilfoyle are all solid support. There is not one weak link in the cast

Ron Howard has directed a movie that is a highly professional piece of work, swift and suspenseful, with a good sense of pace and atmosphere it makes for perfect entertainment.

Gibson is truly a great actor, and hopefully he can sort his personal problems and demons out, because as we all know Hollywood loves comebacks.

A bit of a confusing movie but well worth it's money,Ransom does not fail to deliver a couple of good performances from some good actors.Mel Gibson stars as Tom Mullen,a businessman who runs a huge aircraft firm who has his son kidnapped by a group of people.Rene Russo delivers a good performance as Kate Mullen who is the mother of Sean Mullen who was kidnapped and also the wife of Tom Mullen.Gary Sinise delivers a fine performance as Detective Jimmy Shaker as well as Delroy Lindo as FBI Agent Lonnie Hawkins.If this movie was dramatic,I was surprised that Mel Gibson wasn't nominated for a lead actor Oscar but was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor-Drama.It is a shame for a movie that is a good drama/thriller.

This is how it should be done, an exciting, exhilarating movie with great acting and a terrific script which grabs a hold of you and never lets go. Mel Gibson is fabulous (I'd almost forgotten he could act after all those lame Lethal Weapon movies). Gary Sinise, Rene Russo, and Delroy Lindo are equally superb. The viewer is always kept on the edge like you're a member of the Mullen household waiting to see if Tom will ever see his son again. Five stars *****

After the terrific APOLLO 13, I thought Ron Howard was ready to move on to even bigger things, Mel Gibson is good when he's given the chance to act, Richard Price is one of my favorite writers, Lili Taylor is one of my favorite actresses, and the trailer really rocked, so I was primed to see this. But it's somewhat disappointing. The filmmakers try to make a flawed hero, and Gibson certainly is that, not afraid to make his character unlikable, and we even get the psychology of a man used to having his way not having his way, and how he reacts to that. And most of the rest of the cast is good(with one exception I'll get to in a moment). As a fan of Taylor, I was especially pleased at how she was used. While she doesn't have a lot of dialogue, she gets to develop her character in a way her fellow villains don't because Howard has her on camera a lot, and she expresses a lot with her face.

But the other villains aren't well-developed. The one wrong performance(not bad, wrong) is by Gary Sinise; he tries, but he's just not convincing here, mostly sounding forced. And the last 15 minutes are melodramatic and unconvincing. The elements were all there, but it doesn't deliver.

Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Maverick) stars as the rich father of a kidnapped boy, played by Brawley Nolte (Nick Nolte's son). The kidnappers give a ransom of 2 million dollars. Rene Russo (Outbreak, Major League) plays his wife. Delroy Lindo (Clockers, Get Shorty) plays the head FBI agent on the case. Gary Sinise plays a New York cop. Gibson soon starts to doubt the chances of the ransom working, so he changes the ransom to a bounty on the kidnapper's head. The film is well-directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Cocoon). The story line is gripping and well-written. Mel Gibson is excellent as the father. Rene Russo and Gary Sinise are good in their roles. Delroy Lindo delivers the best supporting performance, he plays the agent very convincingly. A suspenseful, entertaining, and overall great film. Rating R: (violence, language)

02/27/2019 The movie looks dated due to youthful appearance of all cast members but still an enjoyable, well played "Child Kidnapping" movie. Bon Appetit

Seeing that this movie was directed by Ron Howard gave me some good hopes about this movie. I've seen "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind" and loved both. I even appreciated "Edtv", so I was convinced that this movie would be yet another hit. But I was wrong. I'm not saying that it was a bad movie, but it wasn't a really good one either. It really left me with a double feeling, but more about that later on.

First I'll tell you something more about the story. The movie is about Tom Mullen, a successful airline owner and the father of a kidnapped boy. Sean Mullen was kidnapped and taken as a hostage for a ransom of two million dollar. But when the drop goes wrong, the business man in Tom takes it over from the father. To everybody's astonishment and horror, he turns the tables on the leader of the kidnappers by turning the ransom money into a bounty for the man's head in the TV news...

At first this looked like an ordinary Hollywood production about a kidnapping. Nothing special, but no TV-movie material either. But as soon as he puts that bounty on the kidnapper's head, it all went wrong in my opinion. I can't believe that there is any parent that would ever do such a thing. Jeopardising the life of your child is probably the last thing that you want to do and I'm sure that the police would never let it happen. And that's not the only problem that I had with the movie. The final of the movie didn't add much to the believability either. I'm not going to tell you the details, but it involves a lot of shooting and other action shots.

Still not everything about the movie was bad. Mel Gibson's and Rene Russo's performances weren't bad, but in my opinion it was Gary Sinise who was the best actor in this movie. The role he had to play as Detective Jimmy Shaker certainly wasn't the easiest one (again I can not tell you too much about it without giving away too much information), but he did it very well.

All in all this is movie that left me behind with a double feeling. It started well and the acting is OK, but the second half really blew it for me. That's why I give this movie a 6/10.

What would happen in the movie was no big surprise to me really, thanks to the bad advertising for this movie, in which the main plot twist was already revealed.

Still "Ransom" is a very good watchable movie. OK calling it average maybe is not completely fair by me maybe, cause "Ransom" is more than average at times.

It really is good that this movies shows both sides of the kidnap, both the little boy's (Brawley Nolte, yes, indeed the son of...) parents (Mel Gibson, Rene Russo) and the kidnappers (Gary Sinise, Lili Taylor, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg, Evan Handler.). The fact that it also shows the kidnappers is what makes this movie even more tense actually.

I'm sorry but I just can't stand Rene Russo in this movie. Her character really irritated me at times. Best actor is Gary Sinise who was really 'hot' in the mid-90's, ever since his Oscar nomination for one of my personal favorite movie's, "Forrest Gump". It was also nice to see the at the time fairly unknown actor Donnie Wahlberg, who also did a good job.

The music by James Horner is good, still I'm curious about the original Howard Shore score.

Yes the movie has some good moments and is perfectly watchable but it most certainly is not Ron Howard's or Mel Gibson's best. It also is not a movie that I enjoy watching multiple times. Also the original from 1956 is still a better movie even if it doesn't have action or a spectacular ending. At least it was more tense and less predictable as this movie was at times.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

"Ransom" is one of those films that defined the late 90s. With large budgets, larger than life sets, bigger stars, and predictable situations, "Ransom" demonstrates that overabundant Hollywood escapism. There was no worry that a Mel Gibson movie would flop – there was no concern that ticket prices would drive audiences away – there was no worries about putting $80 million dollars on the table because this had everything late-90s cinema goers wanted to see with their popcorn and soda. This movie was melodramatic; this gave audiences an evil guy that was loved in "Forrest Gump", and it kept us cool for nearly two hours. It had everything. This was a time of taking risks and pushing big names into theaters – now, well, (and one could argue "thankfully") that recycled magic has gone. A film like this could not exist today. The "safe" nature of this film would be pushed aside for quirky camera footage, younger actors, and less tears with more violence. Audiences have changed, and while I have grown up beyond the "Ransom" excitement, I was feeling this love/hate relationship with this film.

In 1996, when this film was being released, I was first being introduced to cinema. I was going to theater at any opportunity, I was being pulled into these less-than spectacular situations, and people like Gibson, Sinise, Russo, and Howard were idols because of what they could accomplish on screen. But like any child, I was pulled into the glamour, the hype, and the glitz, while in retrospect, the basics were being missed. Watching "Ransom", now thirteen years later, it just doesn't seem like the type of film that deserved wide release. Watching this film today, it felt more like a superimposed made-for-TV movie than a blockbuster. To begin, director Ron Howard was out of his element with this film. "Apollo 13", "Blackdraft", "Splash", even "Willow" seems to be more nature based dramas, so to feel him helming this violence-based drama, it just felt staged and unfocused. In the director commentary, Howard discusses how he attempted to use POV shots to convey the story and develop his characters, and while the idea was present, the execution just felt phony. The juggle between Gibson and Russo's perspective at times felt dizzy to the viewer. Yes, the details around a kidnapped child have that effect; it creates havoc for the viewer – ultimately missing stronger themes throughout. That isn't to say Howard didn't have some powerful shots with his cinematographer, overall "Ransom" just missed the strength behind the camera. Then, as if to overcompensate for this, Howard allows his actors to overpower the screen with their over-the-top characters. Gibson, a wealthy airline tycoon, goes from passive father to vengeful cynic (a la "Payback") in a mere instant, allowing – sadly - more drama to unfold between Russo and Sinise.

Who was the central focus of this film? This is an excellent question for Mr. Howard as well as the cast. Is Gibson the main character? Is his child the main character or merely the developing plot? Is the wooden Delroy Lindo a major player, or is Sinise just trying to keep up with Gibson's anger? Valid questions that, alas, cannot be answered by this film. "Ransom" attempts to bring too many twists and turns into an already filled suitcase, and the end result is catastrophe. If this would have merely been a story about Gibson reacting to the capture of his son, and Sinise never being revealed until the end, then "Ransom" would have successfully accomplished with what it set out to do. The pivotal ending would have been more controlled and dramatic, that this would have made this normal film stand proud. Instead, Howard incorporates two "family" dramas together, the Gibson family, and the jumbled undeveloped Sinise family whom includes Lili Taylor, Liev Schriber, Evan Handler, and Donnie Wahlberg. Again, this would work well on paper if we would have the opportunity to see via each perspective, but we do not even within the two hours. Therefore it becomes further unfocused, and disruptive to the central conflict.

Finally, the last twenty minutes were mere fluff. Not to give away plot, but it felt like it was placed there for those wishing Gibson would provide some much needed action to the screen. Nothing that developed, nothing that revealed, nothing that enhanced, merely staged action for a drunk with Hollywood money audience. It was shameful.

Overall, I disliked "Ransom". When I first began this review, I was in a love/hate relationship, but as I wrote I found more issues with this film. The lack of development between minor characters, the entire Jackie Brown subplot was embarrassing, and the scene in which Russo visits the church just wasted my time. The transitions between scenes and plots were lacking, which I blame directly on Howard's inability to control what was happening. He had a strong focus, but the execution is where it faltered. I do not see myself watching this film ever again – and ultimately will smile when seen on late night TV or in the dollar bin – that was the feel of "Ransom".

Grade: ** out of *****

If your ears can withstand a ton of profanity and usages of the Lord's name in vain, then this movie offers good entertainment. Otherwise, obtain one of those profanity filters or skip this film because there is a ton of swearing.

There also is a ton of suspense as the police race to save a young boy from a vicious kidnapper. Not exactly something new, story-wise, but it keeps your attention for the full two hours. Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Deroy Lindro, Gary Sinise, Lily Taylor, Liev Schreiber and Donnie Wahlberg make for a deep and talented cast.

The action wasn't overdone and the story was a very involving one. I only had one criticism of it but if I mention it, I ruin the ending. Suffice to say this was an intense, interesting movie marred only by overdone verbal blasphemy, most of it by Gibson (in his pre-"Passion" days, obviously.)

Ransom is a good thriller. The plot really kept me interested, thanks to some surprisingly twists, good dialogue and very good acting. Although Ron Howard didn't spent much time giving the villains a background, he succeeded in making them believable, human characters. There are several scenes with lots of tension in it, you really don't need big shoot outs, explosions etcetera to make an exciting movie. The actors and actresses all turned in fine performances, especially Mel Gibson. Although I liked the movie, it isn't flawless. The subplot concerning the bribe suddenly disappeared. I think real kidnappers would have reacted differently on Tom Mullen's unexpected action. And the final scenes weren't as convincing as the rest of the movie. Despite these flaws, I really liked this movie. My vote: 7 out of 10.

Although not being the biggest fan of Mel Gibson (don't dislike him either), 'Ransom' did seem like it had an interesting story going for it, Ron Howard has done his fair share of good films and Gary Sinese has done work that is worth admiration.

'Ransom' is a long way from flawless and it could have been better. At the same time, it is an entertaining and tense film as well as very well played. 'Ransom' is a film that starts off very well, even if a few things could have been done better, but loses steam towards the end. Like some people here, was really not crazy about the ending which reeked of studio interference. It was wildly improbable and the way everything was resolved was anti-climactic and overwrought.

The secondary characters could have been better written. For the early reveal of the mastermind kidnapper to properly work, the kidnappers needed to be developed well. Other than Shaker the rest of the gang are very thinly sketched, well performed but one knows very little about them. There is very little to Sean too, making it difficult to sympathise with his dire situation. Tom's motives and reasons for such drastic decision making could have been clearer at times.

Lastly, while the back and forth between Mel Gibson and Gary Sinese was essentially the film's driving force and very effectively executed in giving some great tension, the reveal of who was behind it all felt like it was revealed too early, not having it done later diluted the suspense somewhat.

However, Howard does do a more than competent job directing, creating very nice visuals, good sense of mood and high levels of tension, although the more action-oriented parts felt too stagy and overblown. 'Ransom' was clearly made with a lot of skill, everything looking super slick and atmospheric.

James Horner's score has some beautiful moments as well as some haunting ones, though to me he did do better scores. The script flows well and delivers on the tension, shining especially in the back and forth between Tom and Shaker. The story is taut and twisty, only unravelling in plausibility at the end, the big twist handled more than adequately. One really connects with what Tom and Kate are going through in one of the worst things that can happen to anybody.

Gibson is a very commanding lead, and while she is somewhat wasted with an underwritten character Rene Russo does do a very good job with what she's given. The supporting cast are all good, with standouts being Delroy Lindo, Donnie Wahlberg and Lillie Taylor. Best of all, and other than the back and forth between him and Gibson the best thing about 'Ransom' is Sinese, who sends chills up the spine while adding a few wry twists to his characters in some of his best work he's done.

In conclusion, above average, tense and entertaining thriller, but falls a little short. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Great story and well executed. Acting was all I could expect. Action was great too.

I read someone didn't like the happy ending. At least me, I do like happy endings, or at least feel that everything make sense, or have a reason to tell the story. Was satisfactory ending. All I can ask for.

I try to be very strict on movies. Want realism, action with meaning, interesting stories with good execution, good editing, good effects, good acting, etc. On this case I just can't say anything bad about this movie. Maybe a little sad, but you can expect that from a ransom.

If you want drama and action, you should like it. Maybe not the best movie, but very satisfactory to watch. I watch it 3 times, and still plan watch it again in the future.

I was determined to watch a film today and subsequently write the review. Sadly, the choice on TV was not inspiring. As I wasn't a fan and had only a vague idea of who Andy Kaufman actually was, his biopic "Man On The Moon" was second choice to this - a traditional thriller from the director of "Apollo 13". Mel Gibson plays a successful airline owner whose son is kidnapped - so far, so Charles Lindenburg. However, he has a novel approach to dealing with the ransom demand and it turns into a proverbial race-against-time (GOD, I hate that phrase) to find his son and bring the 'nappers to justice.

OK so the plot sounds a little weak on paper (or monitor, of course). But it is actually much better than it sounds thanks to a solid effort from the cast. Though under-used, Rene Russo plays Gibson's wife very well - having perfected the role in the Lethal Weapon films - and Gary Sinise does his bad-guy-thing once again. The film feels charged with tension as Gibson and Sinise clash in their contest of wills. Because this isn't a straight-up action flick, "Ransom" is all-the-better for it and proves that thrillers can thrill without over-long gun battles and fist-fights on the top of trains. If this were in the hands of, say, Joel Schumacher then Bruce Willis would be the hero and he'd be fighting Gary Oldman and his army of henchmen at famous locations across New York. Something that we've all seen a hundred times before so thank you Mr Howard, for this welcome addition to the genre.

However, the film does have a couple of gripes that I'd like to see addressed. Firstly, Gibson's character isn't as clean-cut as you'd expect and, dare I say it, is portrayed as something of an asshole. As such, I found myself siding with Sinise who almost appears to have moral reasons for kidnapping Gibson's son. In my opinion, Gibson's roles all share the same head-strong, authority-bucking instincts that audiences supposedly love. In this film, it doesn't work - in Gibson's shoes, I'm sure that I'd listen to everything the FBI told me to do and that does not include ignoring advice for telephone conversations and getting personally involved in the ransom drop-off. The ending, also, felt a bit predictable and lastly, there was too much gore. I'm not exactly talking "Passion Of The Christ" here but why did Sinise look like he'd been dragged over three feet of razor-wire when he'd only fell through a single pane of glass? For some reason, I kept thinking that Richie from "Happy Days" had directed this and it looked like he was paying homage to that old favourite, Quentin Tarantino.

Ron Howard is clearly a director with talent and this is a cracking story, deserving of a modern update (it was originally made in the Fifties). He draws a fine performance from his cast and keeps the film exciting and taunt. Ransom, despite its flaws, is well worth checking out even if it is only to remember Gibson's good old days before he became an over-ambitious director with delusions of religious grandeur.