Ransom

A seriously stellar thriller, Ransom follows Mel Gibson’s Tom Mullen as he and his wife (Rene Russo’s Kate) attempt to negotiate the return of their son (Brawley Nolte’s Sean) after he’s kidnapped – with the story also detailing the exploits of the abductors and the dedicated cop (Delroy Lindo’s Lonnie Hawkins) working the case. Filmmaker Ron Howard delivers a deliberately-paced yet often engrossing narrative that’s rife with electrifying sequences (eg the now-iconic “give me back my son!” scene, etc), and there’s little doubt that the movie benefits substantially from its roster of above-average performances – with Gibson’s ferocious and emotional turn mirrored by a strong supporting cast that includes Gary Sinise, Donnie Wahlberg, and Lili Taylor. Howard, working from a script by Richard Price and Alexander Ignon, does a superb job of slowly-but-surely tightening the screws as the storyline unfolds, with the inherent intensity of the premise paving the way for a midsection that’s as gripping as one might’ve hoped. It’s clear, too, that a strong twist at around the halfway mark effectively upends expectations and provides a palpable jolt of energy, and although the movie does begin to partially drag in its second half (ie this is not a story that needs to be told in 121 minutes), Ransom rebounds for an impressively captivating (and action-packed) finale that ensures it ends on as positive a note as one could envision – which certainly does confirm the film’s place as one of Ron Howard’s very best efforts (if not the best, really).

**** out of ****