| Ransom | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Ron Howard |
| Produced by | Brian Grazer Kip Hagopian Scott Rudin |
| Screenplay by | Richard Price Alexander Ignon |
| Story by | Cyril Hume Richard Maibaum |
| Starring | Mel Gibson Rene Russo Gary Sinise |
| Music by | James Horner Billy Corgan |
| Cinematography | Piotr Sobocinski |
| Editing by | Daniel P. Hanley Mike Hill |
| Studio | Imagine Entertainment Icon Productions |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 8, 1996 |
| Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million |
| Box office | $309,492,681 |
Ransom is a 1996 American thriller starring Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, Gary Sinise, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg, Lili Taylor, Evan Handler and Brawley Nolte and directed by Ron Howard. Gibson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Ransom was the 5th highest grossing film of 1996 in the United States. This film is a loose remake of the film of the same name
The original idea for the story was from an episode of The United States Steel Hour named "Fearful Decision" that aired in 1954. It was then adapted into a feature-length film of the same name in 1956, written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed and Leslie Nielsen. The film also was influenced by King's Ransom, a police procedural novel by Ed McBain which was, in turn, the basis for Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low.
The film earned mixed-to-positive reviews, and was a major financial success.
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While multi-millionaire airline owner Tom Mullen attends a science fair that his wife Kate is judging, their son, Sean, is kidnapped. Sean is taken to an apartment by Maris Conner, who previously worked for the Mullens as a caterer, along with small-time criminal Cubby Barnes, Cubby's older brother Clark and high-tech criminal Miles Roberts. Tom and Kate receive an email from the kidnappers, demanding $2 million as ransom. Tom calls the FBI, who set up a base of operations in his penthouse.
Detective Jimmy Shaker of the NYPD is arresting a perpetrator in a convenience store when Cubby nervously buys some FrankenBerry cereal. Shaker follows Cubby into the building where the kidnappers are residing; Shaker is the mastermind behind the kidnapping and is romantically involved with Maris. He insults Cubby for buying a box of kids' cereal in front of cops during a kidnapping investigation. The group argues over the plan to kill Sean once the ransom has been delivered. Cubby tells Clark that he plans to release Sean.
Tom agrees to the FBI instructions for delivering the ransom. Receiving a phone call from Shaker, who is electronically disguising his voice, Tom follows his instructions. Tom meets Cubby in a New Jersey quarry. Shaker indicated that Cubby would give Tom an address where Sean could be picked up in exchange for the money, but when Cubby appears ignorant of these instructions and simply demands the cash, Tom refuses to hand it over. The FBI sends a helicopter to follow Cubby and Cubby opens fire. FBI marksmen shoot Cubby in the neck, and he dies before he can reveal Sean's location to Tom.
Shaker calls again, setting up another ransom drop. Angered that the FBI followed him instead of the money as they had promised and killed his only lead, Tom insists on taking the money without being tracked. Realizing the first drop was a setup and there is no guarantee that Sean will come back alive, Tom drives to the TV station WNYW Fox 5, going on the news and explaining that he refuses to pay the kidnappers. Instead he offers the $2 million ransom as a bounty. The only way for them to save themselves is to return his son, in which case he will withdraw the bounty and drop all charges.
Shaker sends an anonymous message to Kate, luring her to a meeting where he attacks her and tells her to pay the ransom or Sean will die. Tom sticks to his plan, believing it is the best chance of having Sean returned, despite the pleadings of Kate and FBI Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins. He increases the bounty to $4 million. Shaker calls Tom and demands to be paid or else Sean will die. Tom replies that Sean must be returned or else the kidnappers will be hunted down. Tom hears Sean's voice screaming for his father. Shaker fires a shot that is heard over the phone before the call cuts off, leaving Tom and Kate believing their son is dead.
Shaker forms a new plan; he will kill Clark and Miles, pretend to rescue Sean, and claim the $4 million bounty for himself and Maris. He calls in a possible kidnapping to the NYPD and requests backup. He then flashes his badge and gun at Clark and Miles, who realize he has betrayed them. Clark tries running Shaker over with his van, but Shaker moves to the driver's side and fatally shoots Clark. He then kills Miles, making it look as though Miles shot first, before Maris shoots Shaker, wounding him in the shoulder. Maris was trying to back out of the plan. As she raises her gun, Shaker kills her and re-enters the apartment just before backup arrives. The SWAT team storms the apartment where Sean is being held, finding a wounded Shaker sitting next to Sean. He was careful that Sean never heard his voice and is sure that Sean, who was always blindfolded, will not recognize his face or voice, as the kidnappers drowned out their voices by blaring loud music in Sean's room.
Tom and Kate are grieving for their son when Hawkins takes them to the scene of Sean's rescue. Tom thanks Shaker, who is being taken to the hospital. Hawkins takes Tom to Maris' body, where he recognizes her. Shaker is questioned by Hawkins about the shooting of the kidnappers. He claims Miles shot at him and Clark tried to run him over. When questioned about Maris, he says a bullet hit him and spun him around and he did not realize he had returned fire on a woman.
A few days later, after placing a backup revolver around his ankle, Shaker appears at the Mullen penthouse to receive the reward, claiming he wants to avoid the press. As Tom writes a check for him, Sean recognizes Shaker's voice. Seeing his son's reaction and hearing Shaker recite the phrase "Shouldn't be a problem" as the kidnapper did, Tom and Sean realize Shaker is the kidnapper. Tom gives Shaker the check with a false signature, but Shaker realizes that Tom is on to him. Shaker threatens to kill everyone in the house, but Tom convinces him to take him hostage and go to the bank so Tom can wire the money to Shaker's account. En route, Shaker orders Tom to get his private jet ready. Tom fakes a call to his pilot, actually calling Hawkins, whom Tom manages to tell covertly that the kidnapper is with him.
Cops converge on Tom and Shaker outside the bank. Shaker panics and opens fire, shooting both officers. Tom throws himself at Shaker and Shaker loses his gun to Tom. Tom throws Shaker through a store window and when they emerge, they are surrounded by armed policemen. Shaker draws his back-up revolver from an ankle holster. Tom and Hawkins fire first, killing Shaker. The film closes as Hawkins stops the police from arresting Tom.
During filming, Mel Gibson had appendicitis and had to have an operation.[1]
The movie has a 71% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars out of four, saying "Gibson gives an interesting performance, showing a man trying to think his way out of a crisis, and Sinise makes a good foil: Here are two smart men playing a game with deadly stakes."[3]
1997 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
1997 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (Saturn Awards)
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