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So much average

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Like this one. Always have. Always will.Gibson. Lindo. Russo. Great supporting cast. It's not as good as a few other kidnap trillers, like say, Prisoners, but it's a very entertaining film.

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

Ransom (1996): Dir: Ron Howard / Cast: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo. Lili Taylor: Misfiring action thriller that boarders on being clever but substitutes revealing information and a climax where violence is overused. Title regards a kidnapped boy but it is his father who has something to hide thus making him as much a prisoner. Mel Gibson stars as a former fighter pilot who now owns an airline but he is under investigation for bribing union officials. F.B.I advise him to pay the ransom but he offers a reward for his son's return instead. Directed with detail by Ron Howard with a realistic touch to the operation but this doesn't place well against his superior films such as Apollo 13 and The Paper. Gibson plays a man who is desperate yet smart. He is given the one role worth its salt until its action oriented third act. Rene Russo plays his frustrated wife who is totally brainless when she shows up at a location after being summoned by the kidnappers and is threatened. Gary Sinise as a corrupt cop would make a great villain but perhaps had the film saved that information for the third act as oppose to revealing it in the first thus leaving nothing left. Delroy Lindo leads the ransom operation, which is standard issue material. Lili Taylor plays one of Sinise's one dimensional accomplices. Theme regards the issue of ransom and measures taken. Score: 6 ½ / 10

Yes, I enjoyed watching this movie - even though it felt at times that it would never end. It looks like there are enough reviews on here praising its technical "merits" by Hollywood criteria. I for one do not think the acting had much quality or depth to it at all (Gibson's is really inconsistent/ delirious), nor would I say at all that this is a "good" film story, just an enjoyable one, and a compelling one for the following reason; This is possibly the most thinly-veiled cinematic propagation of a Neoliberal capitalist mentality I have seen - from the mid-nineties: White collar criminal (Gibson) gains his redemption / dignity and the respect of his family and government (the skeptical FBI agent (Lindo)) by pursuing a stubborn, risky path of non-negotiation (which jeopardizes the life of his son). Gibson's character refuses to pay-off the "human garbage" who could partially be seen to represent an extralegal justice.. and effectively pits the actors who constitute the threat to his decadent life against one another; the competition literally destroys itself -for the most part. The final scene is the most unbelievable, where we see the corporate 'hero' disobey the faithful but ineffective state - the officers demanding that he "drop the gun", who failed to take down the wayward dissatisfied officer from their ranks. A sort of case for the benefits of extreme self-interest, privatization, deregulation of business, realpolitik, etc.? This is an interesting watch as it significantly predates the wall street crash, the more contemporary political-economic policy that one would associate with this sort of message, and the more recent flashier action films (i.e. Nolan's Dark Knight, Miller's 300 etc) that are recognizable now as the Hollywood promotion of (I would say quite TOXIC) Neoliberalism. Thanks for reading.