I was determined to watch a film today and subsequently write the review. Sadly, the choice on TV was not inspiring. As I wasn't a fan and had only a vague idea of who Andy Kaufman actually was, his biopic "Man On The Moon" was second choice to this - a traditional thriller from the director of "Apollo 13". Mel Gibson plays a successful airline owner whose son is kidnapped - so far, so Charles Lindenburg. However, he has a novel approach to dealing with the ransom demand and it turns into a proverbial race-against-time (GOD, I hate that phrase) to find his son and bring the 'nappers to justice.
OK so the plot sounds a little weak on paper (or monitor, of course). But it is actually much better than it sounds thanks to a solid effort from the cast. Though under-used, Rene Russo plays Gibson's wife very well - having perfected the role in the Lethal Weapon films - and Gary Sinise does his bad-guy-thing once again. The film feels charged with tension as Gibson and Sinise clash in their contest of wills. Because this isn't a straight-up action flick, "Ransom" is all-the-better for it and proves that thrillers can thrill without over-long gun battles and fist-fights on the top of trains. If this were in the hands of, say, Joel Schumacher then Bruce Willis would be the hero and he'd be fighting Gary Oldman and his army of henchmen at famous locations across New York. Something that we've all seen a hundred times before so thank you Mr Howard, for this welcome addition to the genre.
However, the film does have a couple of gripes that I'd like to see addressed. Firstly, Gibson's character isn't as clean-cut as you'd expect and, dare I say it, is portrayed as something of an asshole. As such, I found myself siding with Sinise who almost appears to have moral reasons for kidnapping Gibson's son. In my opinion, Gibson's roles all share the same head-strong, authority-bucking instincts that audiences supposedly love. In this film, it doesn't work - in Gibson's shoes, I'm sure that I'd listen to everything the FBI told me to do and that does not include ignoring advice for telephone conversations and getting personally involved in the ransom drop-off. The ending, also, felt a bit predictable and lastly, there was too much gore. I'm not exactly talking "Passion Of The Christ" here but why did Sinise look like he'd been dragged over three feet of razor-wire when he'd only fell through a single pane of glass? For some reason, I kept thinking that Richie from "Happy Days" had directed this and it looked like he was paying homage to that old favourite, Quentin Tarantino.
Ron Howard is clearly a director with talent and this is a cracking story, deserving of a modern update (it was originally made in the Fifties). He draws a fine performance from his cast and keeps the film exciting and taunt. Ransom, despite its flaws, is well worth checking out even if it is only to remember Gibson's good old days before he became an over-ambitious director with delusions of religious grandeur.
OK so the plot sounds a little weak on paper (or monitor, of course). But it is actually much better than it sounds thanks to a solid effort from the cast. Though under-used, Rene Russo plays Gibson's wife very well - having perfected the role in the Lethal Weapon films - and Gary Sinise does his bad-guy-thing once again. The film feels charged with tension as Gibson and Sinise clash in their contest of wills. Because this isn't a straight-up action flick, "Ransom" is all-the-better for it and proves that thrillers can thrill without over-long gun battles and fist-fights on the top of trains. If this were in the hands of, say, Joel Schumacher then Bruce Willis would be the hero and he'd be fighting Gary Oldman and his army of henchmen at famous locations across New York. Something that we've all seen a hundred times before so thank you Mr Howard, for this welcome addition to the genre.
However, the film does have a couple of gripes that I'd like to see addressed. Firstly, Gibson's character isn't as clean-cut as you'd expect and, dare I say it, is portrayed as something of an asshole. As such, I found myself siding with Sinise who almost appears to have moral reasons for kidnapping Gibson's son. In my opinion, Gibson's roles all share the same head-strong, authority-bucking instincts that audiences supposedly love. In this film, it doesn't work - in Gibson's shoes, I'm sure that I'd listen to everything the FBI told me to do and that does not include ignoring advice for telephone conversations and getting personally involved in the ransom drop-off. The ending, also, felt a bit predictable and lastly, there was too much gore. I'm not exactly talking "Passion Of The Christ" here but why did Sinise look like he'd been dragged over three feet of razor-wire when he'd only fell through a single pane of glass? For some reason, I kept thinking that Richie from "Happy Days" had directed this and it looked like he was paying homage to that old favourite, Quentin Tarantino.
Ron Howard is clearly a director with talent and this is a cracking story, deserving of a modern update (it was originally made in the Fifties). He draws a fine performance from his cast and keeps the film exciting and taunt. Ransom, despite its flaws, is well worth checking out even if it is only to remember Gibson's good old days before he became an over-ambitious director with delusions of religious grandeur.