Customer Reviews

Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition - BD [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Well, this has some great performances and is probably one of Ron Howard's best (just my opinion). It really gets you involved with the characters and make you think how it would feel to be in their situation. Watch it!

i liked this movie.it has some edge of your seat moments,and great
acting.while the acting is credible,i'm not sure how realistic the
actions of some of the characters are.there is a twist which i figured
out right away,the first time i watched it.i think that's because it
just seemed so obvious.nevertheless,the movie fun is fun,and
thrilling,and action packed right to the end.Mel Gibson puts in a
strong performance as does Gary Sinise.Rene Russo is also good,but has
a small role.i also liked Delroy Lindo.i thought he was good in his
role.interestingly,the Laser disc version of the film is 139
minutes,according to this site,while this version is only 121
minutes.i'm curious about the missing 17 minutes.anyway,for me,Ransom
is a 4.5/5

Slick psychological thriller about the high-stakes cat-and-mouse game between a ruthless businessman and the kidnappers holding his son for ransom. Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is the self-made head of a major airline who wears his aw-schucks affability like a suit of silk chain mail. When his boy (Brawley Nolte) is snatched by a gang of mercenary lowlifes, His true nature comes to the surface: Ignoring his tearful wife (Rene Russo) and the seasoned FBI agent (Delroy Lindo) assigned to the case, Mullen starts messing with the kidnappers, convicing that only he has the cojones to get his son back. Until the disappointingly conventional ending, in which the dad and the head baddie (Gary Sinise) go it mano a mano on the streets, this dark drama--based on a 1956 Glenn Ford picture of the same name--negotiates its narrative twists and turns with professional aplomb, even daring to make the hero an arrogant schmuck. As is often the case, the scumbags are far more interesting than the good guys, perhaps because they're not played by stars cocooned in suffocating personas.

ENOUGH with the "cat and mouse" expression! Anyway, this is another "Hollywood" movie. Very unrealistic, many times during the movie you will be thinking "that would NEVER happen". The beginning of the movie we see dad and son play around, laugh, and and have fun, as if that is a typical every day for them. (Who hasn't seen that 20 times before?)

This DVD was given a special edition, but I am unsure why. The featurette is boring, 3/4 of it are clips we've just seen from the movie.

Overall, sure it's mildly entertaining if you can ignore how unbelievable it is.

RANSOM is probably Ron Howard's most fully realized film to date. Howard helms a tense, literate script, without letting its potential maudlin come through. Mel Gibson, who has "ruined" his career with the 350 million dollar+ gross of THE PASSION OF CHRIST (Notice tongue in cheek, folks) shows us what a powerfully commanding actor he can be. His role as the tortured, yet committed, father is beautifully performed. Mel doesn't parlay his looks into establishing his popularity. The Australian is a very good actor, and in some ways, has never been recognized for the fact. Rene Russo is amazing, too. Starting off in a cool, I've got things under control aura, she melts into a desperate, crazed, and passionate woman who loves her husband dearly, but can't believe he's risking their son's life. Gary Sinise once again brings a mercurial sense of villainy to his role as the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and his coldhearted murders only enforce his psychosis; Delroy Lindo as the head FBI agent gives a sturdy, tense and compassionate portrayal; Lili Taylor is devastating to watch as she crumbles under the pressure of her part in the kidnapping, but her cold hearted willignness to kill the little boy is frightening; Liv Schrieber and Donnie Wahlberg as the brothers are convincing, in view of their relatively little time on screen.
I liked this film a lot because it touched my emotions in the way a thriller of this type should. Nail bitingly good, it's one of Gibson and Howard's best works.

The order page describes this DVD was anamorphic widescreen. It is not. Amazon refuses to make things good. We definitely would not have bought it. Now, we're stuck with it after having sold our original copy for next to nothing. We would have rated this a zero but it wouldn't let us. Two thumbs down to Amazon. I think a class action suit is in order against a business that has no class where their orders are concerned.

I usally dont care for remakes! This was a remake of a 1955 version with Donna Reed and Glen Ford. But this is much better the raw emotion of Mel Gibson and Renee Russo just made the movie just so completly come into place. I had tears in my eys through out the whole movie. The commentary with Ron Howard is great also. A must have for any collection!!!

At first glance, director Ron Howard's Ransom, seemed like a pretty solid thriller. However, after seeing it a second time on the special edition DVD, my feelings about it changed somewhat. And then there's those extras.

Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is a wealthy airline tycoon. Along with his loving wife Kate (Rene Russo), and their son Sean (Brawley Nolte), they seem to have it all. Things are turned upside down for the family though, when Sean is abducted and held for ransom, by a gruoup of kinappers. Frantic, Tom decides to take matters into his own hands, despite the pleas of his wife and FBI agents, led by agent Lonnie Hawkins (Delroy Lindo). Then, he deal with the consequences of attempting to turn the tables on the kidnappers, and find a way to help get his son back.

Ransom boasts fine perfomances from Gibson and Russo, who carry over their obvious chemistry from the Lethal Weapon films. Lindo is top notch as Hawkins, as is Gary Sinise, playing Detective Shaker. With all this talent in front of the camera, and Howard as a fine director Ransom should still be a better film.The major twist of the story is telegraphed too early. It's bad enough the trailer gives away a minor twist, but, I think it would have been better to keep that secret a bit longer. It kind of takes the suspense of the last act and leaves it muted. Thanks to a solid cast--it's still watchable.

Now to the DVD extras. You would think, after reading the back of the snapper case, that the bonus features would be worthwhile, well, in reality they don't measure up. Take the audio commentary by director Ron Howard, it's fact filled about the production--almost to a fault--it's also lacking any ommff. Having someone else there would have probably helped. The deleted scenes are nothing more than minor snipets of edited material. The "What Would You Do?" featurette is all too brief and doesn't do anything except take up space. The lack of any of the film's cast is noticed and hurts the piece. The "Between Takes" featurette is also short, but at least it's fun to watch. The movie's Internationl trailer and a Touchtone products ad round out the disc.

I wish I could rate Ransom a bit higher but I can't. I would say rent don't buy

"Ransom" is the taut thriller about one man's desperation and determination to get back his kidnapped son. Mel Gibson headlines as Tom Mullen - a man whose seemingly perfect world is shattered when his son, Sean (Brawley Nolte) is stolen from him during a science fair in Central Park. Rene Russo, Gary Sinise and Lily Taylor add genuine weight to their roles. As far as suspence and deception go - they don't get much better than "Ranson".
TRANSFER: Unfortunately, no one at Touchstone seems to care. The quality of this transfer is, pending a few truly horrific digital transfers that I have seen in my life time, really nothing to get worked up about. This DVD is NOT ANAMORPHICALLY ENHANCED for 16:9 displays. Colors are generally weak and often muddy and on occasion tend to bleed. Fine detail is completely lost in the darker scenes and contrast levels are way, way too low. Black levels register as more of a dirty brown than black. Aliasing, shimmering of fine details and edge enhancement are all present for a very uneven visual presentation. There is NO EXCUSE for the barrage of "age related" nicks, chips and scratches that are all over this visual presentation. Some films from the 1950s don't look this bad!!! The audio is Stereo Surround. Apart from the extras, this is virtually the same DVD as previously released by Buena Vista. What a crock!
EXTRAS: Deleted scenes, an audio commentary, a really brief making of featurette and the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: If this is Buena Vista's idea of a Special Edition I'd hate to see what their idea of bare bones is. Oops! Almost forget. I have seen it on "Beaches", "I Love Trouble", "Pretty Woman", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Adventures In Babysitting"...

"Ransom" is the taut thriller about a man's desperation to get back his kidnapped son. Instead of paying the ransom, Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) decides to play a deadly game of cat and mouse with his son's kidnappers. He publically offers a million dollar reward to the person who can apprehend his son's attackers - either dead or alive. Gary Sinise, Rene Russo and Brawley Nolte (yes, Nick Nolte's son)all offer stellar performances that make this high stakes drama intense visual pleasure for the cinematic thrill seeker.
TRANSFER: Unfortunately no one at Touchstone seems to agree. There can be no other reason for offering "Ransom" in the identical, tired, poorly rendered, NON-ANAMORPHIC transfer that was previously available. The open credit sequence is riddled with "age" related nicks, chips and scratches (how old is this film?!?!). The color palette is betrayed with muddy, inconsistent hues and an overly low contrast level that even in a completely blackened room is hard on the eyes. Aliasing, edge enhancement and pixelization - as before - are obvious on this transfer as well as more than a passable amount of film grain. The audio is STEREO - not 5.1!!!
EXTRAS: An engaging commentary by director Ron Howard, four deleted scenes, a ridiculous but new making-of featurette and a thoroughly useless "Between Takes" featurette. Also, the internationl trailer (gee, thanks!).
BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!