Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disney’s “Ransom”

When you are rich, you can have it all. With wealth comes nice homes and a sense of invulnerability. In Ransom, Tom Mullen is about to learn that because he is rich, he has a target on his back which includes his family.

The Plot

Tom Mullen is the wealthy CEO of Endeavour Airlines. With his wife Kate and their son Sean, life is pretty good. Financial problems of the past are nothing compared to the horror of what happens to their son.

Sean Mullen is kidnapped. With the police and FBI at their side Tom and Kate hear from the kidnappers and learn that the criminals want money if they want Sean returned.

With the demand for a ransom, the Mullens are more than capable of covering the amount and plan to do so. As the situation unfolds, Tom Mullen gets angry over what has happened to his family and wants justice. He wants his son back and decides to flip the circumstances. Going on television, he offers the ransom money as a reward to anyone who finds his son and brings him back safely.

Now with Tom putting a bounty on the heads of the kidnappers, the situation is going to get more tense, which leads to a final showdown that Tom or Kate Mullen never expected.

The Good

Mel Gibson is great as Tom Mullen. He’s heartfelt in his love for his family, but he also portrays the businessman that has some tenacity that everyone would love. He makes Tom Mullen a good guy that everyone will route for. He and Rene Russo have a natural chemistry that makes them a perfect pair on screen.

Gary Sinise in the role of Jimmy Shaker is out of the ordinary for the actor. There is so much in this performance that viewers rarely get to see from the actor, and while the movie is almost thirty years old, all I will say is that one cannot but marvel at the scope of Jimmy Shaker and how Gary Sinise transforms into the role.

There is a twist to the story that is revealed early, but I do not want to ruin it here. The thought put into the script and how the characters are developed is excellent, and it would be a shame to spoil a plotline in this review. Suffice it to say, once you learn the twist, there are still many ways to see how the story is going to be resolved.

The kidnappers being Lilli Taylor, Donnie Wahlberg, and Liev Schreiber make a perfect group of talented actors, playing low life scum, who are human. They make the kidnappers people, who aren’t supervillains, just people making terrible decisions that can have deadly consequences.

The Bad and the Ugly

This is a movie about the kidnapping of a child. The story is intense, and if this plotline is a turnoff, then don’t watch the film.

Mel Gibson in the 1990’s could do no wrong. Every movie he was in, including Conspiracy Theory, was enjoyable and fun to watch. Fast forward a few decades and everything one knows about Mel may make you think twice about watching one of his movies.

Rene Russo deserved a more substantial role in the film. One can never have too much Rene Russo.

Beyond the Film Facts

The Streamy Award

{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.

1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}

It’s a must see. Ransom is compelling, action packed, and will have you on the edge of your seat until the final moments. The film has a dark tone, the kidnapping of a child, but the resolution is just what you want, and Gibson, Russo, Sinise, and Lindo give excellent performances.

Ransom gets a 4 Reels rating. I remember watching the film in the theatre, and it still holds up so many years later. Ron Howard has crafted a gripping thriller that is timeless, and as a viewer ages, will appreciate the complexity of the story.

Cast and Crew

Directed by Ron Howard

Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Imagine Entertainment / Ransom Productions

Release Date: November 8, 1996

Budget: $80 million

Box Office Gross

Domestic: $136,492,681

Worldwide Total: $309,492,681

Coming Soon

Next week a look back at O Brother, Where Art Thou?