Ron Howard’s Ransom takes the standard kidnapped child scenario and does about three cartwheels with it. Though the 121-minute film is not paced thrillingly by director Howard, there are thrills to be sure, a fair number of surprises, and more than a little to think about after one has seen it. The fact that’s it’s merely good rather than great is what makes the movie experience somewhat frustrating. Ransom delivers its chills reliably on cue, but it never even remotely crosses the line between accomplished movie and movie classic. And the elements are here to have made this movie a classic of the genre.
Ransom (Blu-ray)
Directed by Ron Howard
Studio: Touchstone
Year: 1996
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 121 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 French, 2.0 Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 20.00
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Review Date: June 30, 2012
The Film
4/5
Mel Gibson plays millionaire Tom Mullen, a charismatic but somewhat unscrupulous businessman who finds his teenage son (Brawley Nolte) abducted by a band of kidnappers. On the surface, the abductors don’t seem to have much brain power, but one of the first surprises is how much we have underestimated them as the ransom demands are produced. Each of the motley crew has expertise not noticeable at first. As we begin to see how the outlaws are organized and where their loyalties lie, the layers of relationships begin to thicken, and the movie gains a much more powerful spell over us.
Thirty minutes into the movie we learn who the mastermind of the plot is – police lieutenant Jimmy Shaker (Gary Sinise), and his desire for the two million dollar ransom is motivated as much by his disgust with the multi-millionaire fat cat Mullen who has committed a bribery crime and has gotten away with it as it is with garnering some ill-gotten gains. We also learn that he has no intention of letting the boy live once they have the money, a fact that plays very well into the conflict arising between Tom (who thinks the boy’s life will end when the money is paid) and his wife Kate (Rene Russo) who along with FBI negotiator Lonnie Hawkins (Delroy Lindo) doesn’t believe the boy will be harmed as long as the kidnappers get their money. They are all operating from the position of not knowing whether the kidnappers intend to do the boy harm, and Gibson’s surmise that they’re going to kill him anyway (he has a good reason to believe so which gets conveniently forgotten about as the movie runs) is the basis for his actions. Knowing that he’s right and she’s wrong keeps us from being torn in two about what Tom and Kate should do. We know Tom’s doing the right thing (though what the writers have him inevitably do is startling indeed and the film's best surprise.). Tension mounts as Tom against all advice becomes more and more proactive in his dealings with the hoods, all nicely staged and played. The movie goes off the rails by the end, however, when writers Richard Price and Alexander Ignon stage one climax too many.
Casting some of the roles provides a couple of bad judgment calls, this time due to director Ron Howard. Rene Russo, acclaimed for her strong, almost steely women (once as Gibson’s equal in a Lethal Weapon movie) is simply the wrong actress for the part. Sissy Spacek, who can play both demur and tough (characteristics needed by Kate Mullen), would have been far more felicitous casting. Brawley Nolte plays the captured child, but he’s not an especially appealing or effective emoter, so his apprehension doesn’t carry quite the emotional weight that a more disarming youngster’s kidnapping might have. Mel Gibson has emotional moments in the film that compare to the best of his dramatic screen work up to that time (the first Lethal Weapon, Hamlet, and The Man Without a Face). Gary Sinese shows another side of his chameleon-like personality as the two-faced policeman, and Delroy Lindo, though a bit too humorless as the concerned FBI man, gives Gibson yet another viewpoint for him to oppose. Lili Taylor, Liev Schreiber, and Donnie Wahlberg (one of his earliest screen roles but very effectively humanizing his character) do well as the thugs.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The movie’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is faithfully rendered in this 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is generally excellent throughout with only occasional soft shots intruding on the proceedings. Color is nicely saturated with viable, realistic skin tones. For some reason, Howard has desaturated the beginning and ending of the film, those shots looking a bit less clear, likely a stylistic choice. The film has been divided into 23 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix is rather subdued for a thriller. Dialogue is always easily understood and resides in the center channel, and music and ambient effects get some spread through the soundstage even if New York City’s rich mix of sounds isn’t exploited nearly enough to max out the tension in the picture.
Special Features
3/5
The audio commentary is provided by director Ron Howard. In his typical low key fashion, he comments fitfully throughout the running time about his relationships with the various actors and relates anecdotes about previous experiences or various bits about this movie. But he does take pauses often making this a commentary only for fans.
The video features are all presented in 480i.
There are four deleted scenes which can be watched individually or in one 3 ¾-minute bunch.
“What Would You Do?” is a behind-the-scenes look at the production crew and cast at work with comments from Ron Howard, editor Dan Hanley, and actors Liev Schreiber, Mel Gibson, Delroy Lindo, Rene Russo, Evan Handler, and Gary Sinise. It runs 13 ¼ minutes.
“Between Takes” shows some lighthearted moments on the set featuring Ron Howard, Mel Gibson, and Rene Russo. It runs 4 minutes.
The international theatrical trailer runs 1 ¼ minutes.
There are promo trailers for John Carter and The Odd Life of Timothy Green.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Ron Howard’s Ransom is a good thriller that could have been a great one with a few different casting choices, some tighter writing, and a slightly less over-the-top ending. The Blu-ray is an excellent step up from the previous DVD release and comes recommended.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
