Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

harryumitchell Like this one. Always have. Always will.Gibson. Lindo. Russo. Great supporting cast. It's not as good as a few other kidnap trillers, like say, Prisoners, but it's a very entertaining film.

TheLittleSongbird Although not being the biggest fan of Mel Gibson (don't dislike him either), 'Ransom' did seem like it had an interesting story going for it, Ron Howard has done his fair share of good films and Gary Sinese has done work that is worth admiration.'Ransom' is a long way from flawless and it could have been better. At the same time, it is an entertaining and tense film as well as very well played. 'Ransom' is a film that starts off very well, even if a few things could have been done better, but loses steam towards the end. Like some people here, was really not crazy about the ending which reeked of studio interference. It was wildly improbable and the way everything was resolved was anti-climactic and overwrought.The secondary characters could have been better written. For the early reveal of the mastermind kidnapper to properly work, the kidnappers needed to be developed well. Other than Shaker the rest of the gang are very thinly sketched, well performed but one knows very little about them. There is very little to Sean too, making it difficult to sympathise with his dire situation. Tom's motives and reasons for such drastic decision making could have been clearer at times.Lastly, while the back and forth between Mel Gibson and Gary Sinese was essentially the film's driving force and very effectively executed in giving some great tension, the reveal of who was behind it all felt like it was revealed too early, not having it done later diluted the suspense somewhat.However, Howard does do a more than competent job directing, creating very nice visuals, good sense of mood and high levels of tension, although the more action-oriented parts felt too stagy and overblown. 'Ransom' was clearly made with a lot of skill, everything looking super slick and atmospheric.James Horner's score has some beautiful moments as well as some haunting ones, though to me he did do better scores. The script flows well and delivers on the tension, shining especially in the back and forth between Tom and Shaker. The story is taut and twisty, only unravelling in plausibility at the end, the big twist handled more than adequately. One really connects with what Tom and Kate are going through in one of the worst things that can happen to anybody.Gibson is a very commanding lead, and while she is somewhat wasted with an underwritten character Rene Russo does do a very good job with what she's given. The supporting cast are all good, with standouts being Delroy Lindo, Donnie Wahlberg and Lillie Taylor. Best of all, and other than the back and forth between him and Gibson the best thing about 'Ransom' is Sinese, who sends chills up the spine while adding a few wry twists to his characters in some of his best work he's done.In conclusion, above average, tense and entertaining thriller, but falls a little short. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Leofwine_draca Mel Gibson once again comes up trumps with this acclaimed thriller, can this man do no wrong? After BRAVEHEART, there's been this, LETHAL WEAPON 4, PAYBACK, a great run of films. RANSOM is an expertly crafted thriller which pushes all the right buttons and notches up the tension and suspense as Gibson engages in a complex game with the kidnappers of his son. The theme of ransom is fully explored in this intelligent film, which is enlightening as well as entertaining. Also, it's realistic, brutally so in some cases, and has a great cast of performers.Okay, so Gibson is playing the same guy he always plays - the twinkle in his eye, the jokes, the cool exterior, and outbursts of violence. The nice tough guy, but it's a winning formula and once again it works. He is well supported by Rene Russo (surprise, surprise, these two are stapled together) as his wife, and surprisingly she is not so bad this time around. The actor playing the chief negotiator, Delroy Lindo, is also excellent.The bad guys are pleasingly fleshed out for this film, there are no two-dimensional villains, all characters have a motive and act in believable ways. Lili Taylor puts in a sympathetic portrayal as a woman caught up in the crimes, while Liev Schreiber also fills out a minor role. However, it's Gary Sinise who once again steals the show as the cool villain, he's charismatic and ruthless. It's a shame this guy gets typecast as the villain, though, as I'd like to see him in a 'good' role for a change.Among the many violent verbal outbursts there are some effective, if brief, action sequences, such as a shootout at a quarry and an excellent moment where Sinise turns on his fellow criminals and guns them all down in cold blood. It's the ending, though, which turns out to be one of the best endings of an action film I've ever seen, even better than DIE HARD...a rare case where the punishment fits the crime. Sinise gets beaten, broken, lacerated, and finally shot six or seven times before dying, and did he deserve it. RANSOM is a solid, one of a kind film, bolstered by a charming Gibson and rarely putting a foot wrong, thankfully not relying on explosions in the action stakes (nothing blows up for a change). I saw it first at the cinema and again on video, and it didn't disappoint me either time. Well worth your time and money.

seymourblack-1 Kidnap thrillers usually produce plenty of tension and drama but when they also feature action, excitement and a terrific plot, they're virtually irresistible. This is certainly the case with "Ransom" which is highly entertaining, thoroughly engrossing and justifiably became a huge commercial success. Because the story involves the abduction of a child, emotions run high from an early stage as the parents and everyone else involved with trying to bring the child back home safely, struggle to keep their composure in order to achieve the best possible end-result.During a science fair in Central Park, Sean (Brawley Nolte), who's the 9-year-old son of wealthy airline owner Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) and his wife Kate (Rene Russo), is abducted by a gang of criminals who take him to their house where they handcuff him to a bed and tape up his eyes before sending the Mullens an e-mail in which they demand a payment of $2,000,000 for the return of their son. Tom calls in the FBI who soon arrive and use his New York City penthouse as their operations room.Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins (Delroy Lindo) who's in charge of the investigation, is also an expert in dealing with kidnapping situations and so when he advises Tom to pay the ransom to get his child back, Tom readily agrees and meets up with one of the gang members to hand over the cash. Things go wrong however, when an FBI helicopter suddenly appears and following an exchange of gunfire, the gang-member is left dead and Tom is no wiser about the location of his son. Even more seriously, when Tom reflects on the gang member's reactions when he was going to hand the cash over, he becomes convinced that the gang never had any intention of returning Sean alive, even if the full ransom had been paid. Tom's response to this situation is swift and shocking as he goes on TV and announces that he's no longer prepared to pay the ransom and is instead, offering the money as a bounty to anyone who can bring in the kidnappers dead or alive.Tom calculates that the kidnappers' best move would be to return his son safely to avoid being hunted down by a bounty hunter but Kate and Lonnie certainly don't see things the same way. Kate, who's always been a very devoted and supportive wife, is desperately upset because she's convinced that Tom's putting Sean's life in greater danger by not co-operating with the kidnappers and Lonnie tries to use rational argument to dissuade Tom from what he's doing. Interestingly, Tom's action also triggers discord amongst the kidnappers and a whole series of unexpected developments then follow before the story reaches its violent climax.The character of Tom Mullen is interesting because he's a self-made man who'd built up his airline from nothing and his success had made him used to being able to get his own way either by negotiation or (on one notable occasion) bribery. The criminal who'd masterminded the kidnapping had targeted Tom because of his wealth but also significantly because he's identified him as "a payer". Tom is consumed with guilt about this action in his past which had led to his son's life being put in danger and Kate and himself having to suffer unbearable levels of anguish, fear and despair as a consequence.In an incredibly intense performance, Mel Gibson portrays the frustration, anger and pain that Tom endures as he tries to navigate his way through a dreadful ordeal and Rene Russo is also convincing as she displays Kate's mixture of fear for her child and outrage at her husband's actions. Gary Sinise is great as the kidnapping mastermind and the remainder of the cast members are also superb in this wonderfully enjoyable, plot-driven thriller that's full of neat twists.