ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

harryumitchell 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.

slightlymad22 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 castRon 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.

pristinerecords 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.

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Mel Gibson as Endeavor Airline President Tom Mullen is put on the spot when his 12 year old son Sean,Brawley Nolte,is kidnapped by a gang of hoods lead one of New York's Finest hero cop Let. Jimmy Shaker, Gary Sinise. It's in him feeling low paid, like getting $80,000.00 plus a year isn't enough for him!, and him being a disrespected member of the working class cop Shaker had all his life developed a deep seeded hatred of anyone with money. And he sees Mullen and his family as perfect targets for his insane paranoia against the rich and famous which he considers Tom Mullen to be member of.As it later turns out the two million dollars in ransom money he want's for Sean safe return is just a cover in what Shaker really wanted in having it both ways: Getting the money and at the same time killing the innocent Sean to satisfy his both blood and money lust! It take's a while for Tom to figure out just what a low-life piece of you know what Shanker really is, far lower then his lame brain accomplices,and decides to play a game of chicken with him against the advice of his wife Kate, Rene Russo, and the FBI Agent in charge of the kidnap case Agent Lonnie Hawkins, Delroy Lindo.Going on TV to make an announcement to his son's kidnappers Tom instead of paying up tell the shocked and at the same time confused hoods that the 2 million he's got in ransom money is now a bounty on their heads for anyone who can track them down and bring them to justice! That's unless they return Sean safely and unharmed to him and Kate. With the heat now on the kidnappers they start to unravel and it's hero cop Shanker who's the first to jump ship! Not in turning himself in and releasing Sean but gunning down in cold blood his cohorts and making it look like he save Sean from his kidnappers! In the process of his "heroic action" Shanker is shot and wounded by his fellow kidnapper and lover Maris Connor,Lili Taylor, who in return Shaker blasts to kingdom come. ***SPOILERS*** Now things really start getting interesting with Shanker wanting to collect his hard earned 4 million, Tom had since doubled the bounty price, that he murdered some half dozen people for and jumps the gun by showing up at Tom's fifth Ave penthouse to collect. That instead of waiting a few day for the hero of the years ceremony at City Hall where he's to be given the four million dollar check by both Tom and the Mayor of the City of New York! Slasher like ending with both Tom and Shaker having it out at the bank where he's,Tom, to deposit the four million dollar check into an off shore account in Shanker's name. Tom had gotten the lowdown to who Shaker really is, Sean's kidnapper, by seeing Sean wetting his pants when he heard his voice, at the Mullen penthouse, the same voice he heard when he was held kidnapped and blindfold by Shaker and his gang. This touched off one of the goriest ending in movie history as Shaker after being shot to pieces by police and FBI bullets and cut to ribbons, by going head first through a plate glass store window, still had enough left to pull out a gun out of his ankle holster only to get plugged with enough lead that would have sunk a fully equipped and manned US Navy nuclear aircraft-carrier!