Stars: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Brawley Nolte, Dan Hedaya, Paul Guilfoyle, Liev Schreiber, Michael Gaston, Evan Handler, Kevin Neil McCready

Director: Ron Howard

Summary: A headstrong airline tycoon pays the ransom for his abducted son, despite the pleas of his wife and FBI agents, then must gamble on the consequences of attempting to turn the tables on the kidnapper, setting up a gut-wrenching confrontation between the anguished father and the increasingly desperate criminals. This tightly conceived nail-biter, with head-spinning plot twists, is another fine effort from the director of Apollo 13.

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When it comes to ramping up to vein-bursting levels of tormented anxiety , Mel Gibson has a kind of mainstream intensity that makes him perfect for his heroic-father role in director Ron Howard's child-kidnapping thriller. When you think of Ransom, you automatically think of the scene in which Mel reaches his boiling point and yells, "Give me back my son!" to the kidnapper on the other end of a phone. Trapped in the middle of any parent's nightmare, Mel plays a self-made airline mogul whose son (played by Brawley Nolte, son of actor Nick Nolte) is abducted by a close-knit group of uptight kidnappers. But when a king's ransom is demanded for the child's safe return, Mel turns the tables and offers the ransom as reward money for anyone who provides information leading to the kidnappers' arrest.

Thus begins a nerve-racking battle of wills and a test of the father's conviction to carry out a plan that could cost his son's life. The boy's mother (played by Rene Russo, reunited with Gibson after Lethal Weapon 3) disapproves of her husband's life-threatening gamble, and a seasoned FBI negotiator (Delroy Lindo) is equally fearful of disaster as the search for the kidnappers intensifies. Through it all, Howard maintains a level of nail-biting tension to match Gibson's desperate ploy, and the plot twists are just clever enough to cancel out the overwrought performances and manipulative screenplay. Ransommay not be as sophisticated as its glossy production design would suggest, but it's a thriller with above-average intelligence and an emotion-driven plot that couldn't be more urgent. Adding to the intensity is a superior supporting cast including Gary Sinise, Lili Taylor and Liev Schreiber as the kidnappers, who demonstrate that even the tightest scheme can unravel under unexpected stress. Remade from a 1956 film starring Glenn Ford, Ransomis diluted by a few too many subplots, but as a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, it's a slick and satisfying example of Hollywood entertainment. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Audio Commentary, 4 Deleted Scenes, What Would You Do Featurette, Between Takes Featurette, Theatrical Trailer
Year:	1996
Release Date:	April 8, 2002
Runtime:	128 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B E D 888459
Keywords:	General, Ransom, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller