Review of Ransom

Introduction

When I first bought a DVD player, those initial months were filled with a frenzy of buying, as I sought to replace all my obsolete videos with the format of choice. The hardest slot to fill on my movie shelf was that of Ransom. As hard as I may try, I couldn`t find it anywhere, and I was still reluctant to buy from the Internet. After a month long search, I finally managed to find a sole copy in a clearance sale in a Sony showroom. Being a naïve callow youth, I didn`t realise in my ignorance that the fact that Ransom was so difficult to find, was that it had been deleted, and a new version was imminent. Unsurprisingly a few months later, Buena Vista released the Special Edition, with commentary and extra footage among other extras. I have my pride y`know, and I refuse to upgrade. This then is the review of the bare bones version released on a single layer disc, back when DVD was yet to conquer the shop shelves.

Tom Mullen is a successful Airline magnate, having built his fortune with his business, and is now celebrating the fruits of his success with his family, wife Kate and son Sean. But that innocent idyll is brutally shattered when, during a community science fair, his son is snatched from him in a brief moment of inattention. Despite his initial instincts and in contradiction to the kidnappers instructions, he calls in the FBI for assistance. However the pay-off goes tragically wrong when a kidnapper dies in a hail of gunfire. Let-down by the authorities and convinced that the his son is doomed despite the kidnappers offer of a second chance, Tom Mullen takes the unprecedented step of going on national TV and offering the ransom for the heads of the kidnappers and the safe return of his son. With this gamble though, he stands to lose everything.

Video

This may be a bare bones disc, but this is hardly a Superbit transfer. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is plagued throughout by significant grain, and compression artefacts abound. Strangely this was more apparent in the first third of the film, when I seemed to notice the macro blocking and the pixellation more often. Perhaps I got used to it, but I did feel that the transfer improved as time passed. The image is occasionally soft, especially during the darker scenes, but for the most part the image is sharp. You can tell that this is a hard-hitting thriller, with the restricted autumnal palette keeping things nice and gloomy.

Audio

The sound on the other hand is quite expressively reproduced in a DD 5.1 English track. The surrounds adequately recreate the moments of action, and James Horner`s music is outstanding at maintaining a sense of suspense. Additional soundtracks are here in DD 2.0 Surround Italian and French.

Features

Nowt.

Conclusion

Ransom is an efficient, well-paced thriller directed with aplomb by Ron Howard. It`s well plotted, with twists aplenty and thoughtful characterisations. The cast performances are universally good, with the leads rising to excellence. Yet there is something about Ransom that leaves a little sour taste in the mouth. Perhaps it`s the far-fetched conceit that is central to the movie, in which threat and bluster can succeed in kidnap situations like this against ruthless and violent criminals, although Mel Gibson`s angry father act is more than sufficient to carry it off. Perhaps it`s the nagging feeling that the film goes one twist too far, and the bounds of credulity that have been pushed to the straining point just can`t take any more. However in my mind, it`s the out of place ending of the film, the kind which has been ordained by the committee of test screening audiences that jars with the feel of the rest of the film.

Mel Gibson gives an outstanding performance as Tom Mullen, the stricken father who faced with the nightmare scenario, decides to fight back in the only way he knows how. His reaction to the abduction of his child is all too believable, and he paints a character that is himself tainted. His business dealings have been less than above board and ironically have been the cause of his son`s abduction. He`s given excellent support by Rene Russo as his wife Kate, who is capable of taking matters into her own hands when the situation requires, rather than the stock grieving mother. Delroy Lindo initially grates as the over sympathetic FBI agent, but soon reveals a darker side to his character. Brawley Nolte as the kidnapped Sean is outstanding, and it`s his performance that is the lynchpin of the film. Gary Sinise steals the show though, as the unscrupulous cop Jimmy Shaker, and portrays him with a ruthless efficiency and reptilian cold-bloodedness that is ensnaring. If there is one weak point in the cast, it`s Donnie Wahlberg as Cubby Barnes, a kidnapper with a heart of gold that jars with the rest of the ruthless band. It`s a clichéd character that is almost expected in films like this, yet seems adversely out of place at the same time.

The movie is very well paced and exciting, but it`s the climax just doesn`t feel right. You are asked to believe that the character of Jimmy Shaker, who up to this point has been cold and calculating suddenly begins to act on the spur of the moment, starts taking things personally and behaving recklessly. It`s like two different characters. Add to that the ending that seems like an afterthought. "Hey, this is a Hollywood movie, we can`t have a Hollywood movie where Mel Gibson doesn`t personally kick the bad guy`s butt, it`s just wrong man". So despite all the police and the FBI on the case, we have a businessman taking on the bad guy in the middle of a busy street, in a fight to the death. Just when Ransom was doing so well.

Ransom is an excellent film for the most part and well worth watching. I doubt this disc is still available but it should be avoided, as the picture quality is lacking. With the Special Edition available at bargain prices, that`s probably the one to go for if only for the extras. I`m not going to upgrade though as I still have my pride.