Ransom (1996 film)

Ransom
Ransom
	Ransom Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Ron Howard
Written by	Story:; Cyril Hume; Richard Maibaum; Screenplay:; Richard Price; Alexander Ignon
Produced by	Brian Grazer; Kip Hagopian; Scott Rudin
Starring	Mel Gibson; Rene Russo; Gary Sinise
Cinematography	Piotr Sobocinski
Edited by	Daniel P. Hanley; Mike Hill
Music by	James Horner; Billy Corgan
Production; company	Imagine Entertainment
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date	November 8, 1996
Running time	121 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$80,000,000
Box office	$309,492,681 (worldwide)

Ransom is a 1996 thriller film, starring Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, and Gary Sinise and directed by Ron Howard. The movie was nominated Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama for Mel Gibson, and was the 5th highest grossing movie of 1996 in the United States.

The original idea for the story was from an episode of The United States Steel Hour named "Fearful Decision" that aired in 1954. It was then a remake of the 1956 feature-length film of the same name written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed and Leslie Nielsen. The film also was influenced by King's Ransom, a police procedural novel by Ed McBain which was, in turn, the basis for Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low.

Plot

While airline owner Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is attending a science fair in Central Park that his wife Kate (Rene Russo) is judging, their son Sean (Brawley Nolte) is kidnapped and kept in an apartment by Maris Conner (Lili Taylor), Cubby Barnes (Donnie Wahlberg), his brother Clark (Liev Schreiber) and Miles Roberts (Evan Handler).

Tom and Kate receive an untraceable email from the kidnappers, demanding $2 million as ransom. Tom calls the FBI, who set up a base of operations in his apartment.

The NYPD, led by Detective Jimmy Shaker (Gary Sinise), arrest a perpetrator in a convenience store when Cubby comes in to buy Franken Berry cereal. Shaker follows Cubby into the building where the kidnappers are residing, revealing that Shaker is in on the kidnapping as he chides Cubby for, "walk[ing] into a grocery store filled with cops and ask[ing] for a box of kiddy cereal."

Tom agrees to the FBI instructions for delivering the ransom. Receiving an untraceable phone call from Shaker (electronically disguising his voice), Tom follows his instructions. Tom meets Cubby in a New Jersey quarry. Cubby is supposed to give him an address where Sean can be picked up in exchange for the money. When Cubby appears ignorant of these instructions and simply demands the cash, Tom refuses to hand it over. The FBI sends a helicopter to follow Cubby, and Cubby opens fire on agents who are being lowered to the ground. FBI sharpshooters shoot Cubby in the throat.

Shaker calls again, setting up another ransom drop. This time Tom insists on taking the money without anyone tracking him. En route to the location, he realizes the first drop was a setup, and there is no guarantee that Sean will be handed back even if he pays up.

Tom drives to a local TV station, where he goes on the news and offers the $2 million ransom as a bounty on the kidnappers. The only way for them to save themselves is to return his son, in which case he will withdraw the bounty and drop all charges.

Shaker sends an anonymous message to Kate, luring her to a meeting in a church where he grabs her from behind, and tells her to pay the ransom or Sean will die. Tom sticks to his plan, sure that it is the best chance of having Sean returned, despite the pleadings of Kate and FBI Special Agent Hawkins (Delroy Lindo). He responds by upping the bounty to $4 million.

Shaker calls Tom and demands to be paid, or else Sean will die. Tom replies that Sean must be returned or else the kidnappers will be hunted down. Tom hears Sean's voice screaming for his father. Shaker fires a shot that is heard over the phone before the call cuts off. Tom and Kate believe their son is dead.

Shaker forms a new plan- killing Clark and Miles, pretending to rescue Sean, and claiming the $4 million bounty for himself and Maris. He calls in a possible hostage situation to the NYPD and requests backup. Shaker kills Clark and Miles, making it appear as though he had been shot at, only to be shot by Maris, wounding him in the shoulder. Shaker kills Maris, then calls for police backup, announcing he's rescued Sean. The SWAT team storms the apartment where Sean was held for ransom, finding a wounded Shaker sitting next to Sean. (He is careful that Sean never hears his voice, while he is sure that Sean, who was always blindfolded, won't recognize his face).

Tom and Kate are grieving for their son when Hawkins approaches and takes them to the scene of Sean's "rescue". Tom thanks Shaker, who is being taken to the hospital. Hawkins takes Tom to Maris's body, where it is revealed that Tom knew her through the airline business.

Shaker is questioned by Hawkins about the shooting of the other kidnappers. He claims that Miles shot at him and that Clark tried to run him over. When questioned about Maris he says that a bullet hit him and spun him around, and he did not realize who he was shooting at.

A few days later, after placing a backup revolver around his ankle. Shaker unexpectedly appears at the Mullens' apartment to receive the reward, claiming he is trying to avoid the press. Tom invites Shaker into his office, but as Tom writes a check for him, Sean walks by the room and recognizes Shaker's voice. After seeing his son's terrified reaction and hearing Shaker recite a phrase exactly like the kidnapper did, Tom and Sean realize that Shaker is the kidnapper, but Shaker realizes that Tom is on to him.

Shaker's first impulse is to kill everyone in the house, but Tom convinces Shaker to take him as a hostage and go to the bank so Tom can wire the money to Shaker's account. En route, Shaker orders Tom to get his private jet ready. Tom fakes a call to his pilot, actually calling Hawkins, whom Tom manages to tell in code that the kidnapper is with him.

NYPD cops and FBI agents converge on Tom and Shaker outside the bank. Shaker panics and opens fire, killing several NYPD cops. Tom throws himself at Shaker and Shaker loses his gun. Tom throws Shaker through a store window and when they emerge they are surrounded by armed policemen. Shaker draws his back-up revolver from an ankle holster. Hawkins is the first to open fire, killing Shaker.

The camera zooms back from the scene of Shaker's body, with a series of dissolves showing his body, and then his blood, being removed from the street, allowing the city's life to go on as though nothing happened.

Production notes

During filming, Mel Gibson had appendicitis and had to have an operation. The pained expression he wears throughout the film is therefore only partially an act. ^[1]