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Ransom Stars: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise and Delroy Lindo Director: Ron Howard BBFC Certificate: 12 Opened: 7th February 1997 |
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Director Ron Howard makes a departure from his staple diet of pleasant family values and
happy endings with this, the latest addition to the accomplished director's movie catalogue.
The plot concerns multi-millionaire airline owner Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) and his wife (Rene Russo), whose son (Brawley Nolte) is kidnapped by a group of disparate mercenaries. The kidnapping plot, masterminded by a respected policeman (Gary Sinise) soon thickens when, after a botched ransom drop, and against the advice of his wife and a chummy FBI guy (Delroy Lindo), Mullen goes on TV to offer the $2 million dollar ransom as a bounty on the kidnappers' heads. Seizing the opportunity, Sinise kills the gang of kidnappers (including his own partner), returns Mullen Jr. and claims the reward money. Naturally, his devious plot is foiled and Mullen exorcises his rage and torment in a final streetside showdown with Sinise. The film, based on a earlier movie of the same name, whilst showcasing the performance of Gibson's career, an admirable turn by the seemingly ubiquitous Rene Russo, and a realistically contrived screenplay, always lacks the vital elements of tension and humanity required to really drag the audience into Mullen's world. It's difficult to feel sympathy for him (perhaps because you always feel he IS more likely to get his son back by co-operating with the kidnappers) and to empathise with the plight of his son, who is given far too little screen- time to develop any sort of emotional bond with the audience. The kidnap scene is admirably executed, though a little short on the 'nightmare' factor it hopes to convey. The rest of the movie however seems cold, distant and indifferent and leaves the viewer with a distinct lack of concern for any of the main protagonists. The whole film lacks any real form of dramatic tension, made even more of a pity as it comes from the director of two superbly executed 'suspense/thriller' movies (Backdraft and Apollo 13). The only memorable scene in the entire two-hour ordeal is Sinise's anonymous walkie-talkie conversation with Gibson, where he uses H.G.Wells' 'The Time Machine' as a metaphor for the situation of spoilt upper classes exploiting less fortunate citizens, which Sinise feels has compelled him to snatch the business tycoon's son. Only Russo earns even the slightest modicum of sympathy from the audience as she turns what, on paper, could easily have been a one-dimensional whining wife role into something which gives balance and realism to the whole bizarre situation. Ransom is supposed to be an intelligent suspense thriller. Intelligent though it is, it sadly fails on the other two prerequisites of any suspense thriller, namely suspense and thrills. If you're looking for a good nail-biter this month, you'd be well advised to leave Ransom until it's video release and instead check out Michael Apted's far more involving Extreme Measures. Reviewed by: Tom Green
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