Ransom

Starring: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Brawley Nolte, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller, Drama
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is a wealthy executive with a wife and child. When kidnappers manage to grab his son, Mullen's charmed life is turned upside down. Along with his wife (Rene Russo), the pair meet with an F.B.I. Agent (Delroy Lindo) to talk about the ransom. As the tension progresses, Mullen realizes if he pays the ransom, he will never get his son back alive. Mullen then makes a life altering decision- he turns the tables on the kidnappers, offering the ransom money instead as a bounty on their heads! As the suspense builds, it comes down to whether his actions will save the life of his son- or will doom him to be killed by the kidnappers.

Review:

Tim: This is one suspenseful movie. Mel Gibson is unbelievably good in this film, as is Gary Sinise. I was actually quite disappointed with Rene Russo, I thought she brought little to the film. Delroy Lindo is great as the F.B.I. agent in charge. Brawley Nolte (son of actor Nick Nolte) gives an average performance. There isn't much that can be criticized for his limited role, but there was nothing special, either. Ransom is an action- thriller film that has enough twists, turns, and moments of suspense to keep anyone interested. Ron Howard does an incredible job on this film, and the final product shows that.

Ransom is an excellent film, one that has little fault with it. The downside to the whole movie is that although it's only 121 minutes, it tends to feel a lot longer, and the whole movie drags a little. All in all, however, this is a very good film, one that you won't be disappointed with. Fans of Mel Gibson should definitely check this film out. The big star power of the cast is the first allusion that this film is not your everyday action/thriller.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Apollo 13, Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Forrest Gump