Ransom Details

In this entertaining remake of a 1956 Glenn Ford thriller, Mel Gibson stars as a maverick tycoon who must decide whether to pay a $2 million ransom for his kidnapped son or take the law into his own hands. There are no prizes for guessing the Die Hard-style avenue Gibson takes, but his method of action is an interesting one. The film suffers overall under Ron Howard's unusually starchy direction and Rene Russo is wasted as Gibson's concerned wife, but Gary Sinise gives his villainous Terminator-like role a few wry twists. Lower your expectations and this overplayed urban combat drama will reward with a few tense moments.

"A crackerjack thriller with some unusually tasty plot twists, RANSOM pays plenty of entertaining dividends....The storytelling is highly efficient...