Ransom (1996)
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74% of critics liked it
(34 reviews) -
61% of users liked it
(105,882 ratings)
Ron Howard directed this thriller which stars Mel Gibson as Tom Mullen, a former fighter pilot who built a ramshackle one-plane airline into a major multinational service fleet. Mullen has a multi-million dollar fortune, a beautiful wife, Kate (Rene Russo) and a nine-year-old son, Sean (Brawley… More Ron Howard directed this thriller which stars Mel Gibson as Tom Mullen, a former fighter pilot who built a ramshackle one-plane airline into a major multinational service fleet. Mullen has a multi-million dollar fortune, a beautiful wife, Kate (Rene Russo) and a nine-year-old son, Sean (Brawley Nolte) that he dotes on. However, Mullen's life comes crashing down around him when Sean is kidnapped. The FBI are called in, but Mullen is wary -- he was the recent target of an FBI investigation in which he was found to have bribed union officials while negotiating a contract. FBI Agent Hawkins (Delroy Lindo) advises Mullen to make the $2 million dollar drop to pay the kidnappers, which will make it easier to track the criminals, but when the tradeoff goes wrong, Mullen takes a new tactic -- he goes on television and offers a $2 million bounty for the heads of the people who kidnapped his child. Meanwhile, it becomes clear the kidnappers include Maris Connor (Lili Taylor), who once worked for the Mullens, and Jimmy Shaker (Gary Sinise), one of the cops who investigated Mullen for bribery. This remake of the 1956 Glenn Ford vehicle of the same name was scripted by Richard Price, who has a bit part as a police detective. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ron Howard
- Written By
- Richard Price, Alexander Ignon
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Nov 8, 1996 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com
While a flawed, overlong offering of suspense, the movie retains a boiling core of tension, sold with an authentic feel for desperation by Gibson, who keeps the picture on task with his forceful, teeth-grinding work.
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Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
The script is shaky, but Gibson's forceful performance allows Ransom to pay off with modest dividends.
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Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
A tough, gripping thriller.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...it is, after all, still just a movie thriller, not a serious drama. Keep that in mind, and you'll have fun with it.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...unless you expect high drama or intense realism, the movie is going to provide solid Hollywood entertainment.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Mel Gibson
as Tom Mullen
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Rene Russo
as Kate Mullen
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Gary Sinise
as Jimmy Shaker
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Brawley Nolte
as Sean Mullen
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Delroy Lindo
as Agent Lonnie Hawkins
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Lili Taylor
as Maris Connor
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Liev Schreiber
as Clark Barnes
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Donnie Wahlberg
as Cubby Barnes
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Evan Handler
as Miles Roberts
- Donna Hanover
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Dan Hedaya
as Jackie Brown
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Jose Zuniga
as David Torres
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Michael Gaston
as Agent Jack Sickler
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Paul Guilfoyle
as Wallace
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Nancy Ticotin
as Agent Kimba Welch
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John Ortiz
as Roberto


