Ransom ***½ (1996, Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Liev Schreiber, Lili Taylor) – Classic Movie Review 2999

Making a good job of a rather grim part, a satisfyingly edgy Mel Gibson takes the Glenn Ford part in director Ron Howard’s tense, robust, well-made 1996 remake of the 1956 thriller Ransom, with some solid bursts of action.

When the son (Brawley Nolte) of a wealthy couple (Gibson, Rene Russo) is held to ransom, his parents are divided over whether to pay up. The self-made millionaire father Tom Mullen is initially willing to pay the ransom, but the drop goes wrong and later he decides to go on to threaten the kidnappers, alienating the distraught mother. He goes on TV to say the ransom he was going to give to the kidnapper is now a bounty on him.

A fired-up Gibson dominates nearly every scene with his convincing performance as the nervy but determined father, but a showy Gary Sinise also gets a look in as the cop on the case, Detective Jimmy Shaker.

Also in the cast are Delroy Lindo, Liev Schreiber, Lili Taylor, Donnie Wahlberg, Evan Handler, Nancy Ticotin, Michael Gaston, Kevin Neil McCready, Paul Guilfoyle, Allen Bernstein, José Zuniga, Dan Hedaya, John Ortiz, Mike Hodge, Iraida Polanco and Paul Geier.

Richard Price and Alexander Ignon’s script is based on the 1956 screenplay by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum.

It runs 121 minutes but the long extended special edition version is 139 minutes.

Brawley Nolte is the son of Nick Nolte.

The score is by James Horner, who won two Oscars for the music of Titanic and scored such other blockbusters as Avatar, Apollo 13, Braveheart, Aliens, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, Wolfen, Legends of the Fall, Krull, Battle Beyond the Stars, A Beautiful Mind, Titanic and A Beautiful Mind died in a plane crash on 22 June 2015, aged 61.

‘Brilliant composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones.’ — Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 23 2015.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2999

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