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Ransom (film)
Encyclopedia
Ransom is a 1996 American thriller starring Mel Gibson
, Rene Russo
, Delroy Lindo
, Gary Sinise
, Liev Schreiber
, Donnie Wahlberg
, Lili Taylor
, Evan Handler
and Brawley Nolte
and directed by Ron Howard
. Gibson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
for Best Actor
. Ransom was the 5th highest grossing film of 1996 in the United States. This film is a loose remake of the film of the same name
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 adapted into a feature-length film of the same name
in 1956, 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
1963 film High and Low.
The film earned mixed-to-positive reviews, and was a major financial success.
. Tom calls the FBI, who set up a base of operations in his penthouse.
Detective Jimmy Shaker of the NYPD is arresting a perpetrator in a convenience store when Cubby nervously buys some FrankenBerry cereal
. Shaker follows Cubby into the building where the kidnappers are residing; Shaker is the mastermind behind the kidnapping and is romantically involved with Maris. He insults Cubby for buying a box of kids' cereal in front of cops during a kidnapping investigation. The group argues over the plan to kill Sean once the ransom has been delivered. Cubby tells Clark that he plans to release Sean.
Tom agrees to the FBI instructions for delivering the ransom. Receiving a phone call from Shaker, who is electronically disguising his voice, Tom follows his instructions. Tom meets Cubby in a New Jersey quarry. Shaker indicated that Cubby would give Tom an address where Sean could be picked up in exchange for the money, but 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. FBI marksmen shoot Cubby in the neck, and he dies before he can reveal Sean's location to Tom.
Shaker calls again, setting up another ransom drop. Angered that the FBI followed him instead of the money as they had promised and killed his only lead, Tom insists on taking the money without being tracked. Realizing the first drop was a setup and there is no guarantee that Sean will come back alive, Tom drives to the TV station WNYW
Fox 5, going on the news and explaining that he refuses to pay the kidnappers. Instead he offers the $2 million ransom as a bounty
. 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 where he attacks her and tells her to pay the ransom or Sean will die. Tom sticks to his plan, believing it is the best chance of having Sean returned, despite the pleadings of Kate and FBI Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins. He increases 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, leaving Tom and Kate believing their son is dead.
Shaker forms a new plan; he will kill Clark and Miles, pretend to rescue Sean, and claim the $4 million bounty for himself and Maris. He calls in a possible kidnapping to the NYPD and requests backup. He then flashes his badge and gun at Clark and Miles, who realize he has betrayed them. Clark tries running Shaker over with his van, but Shaker moves to the driver's side and fatally shoots Clark. He then kills Miles, making it look as though Miles shot first, before Maris shoots Shaker, wounding him in the shoulder. Maris was trying to back out of the plan. As she raises her gun, Shaker kills her and re-enters the apartment just before backup arrives. The SWAT team storms the apartment where Sean is being held, finding a wounded Shaker sitting next to Sean. He was careful that Sean never heard his voice and is sure that Sean, who was always blindfolded, will not recognize his face or voice, as the kidnappers drowned out their voices by blaring loud music in Sean's room.
Tom and Kate are grieving for their son when Hawkins takes them to the scene of Sean's rescue. Tom thanks Shaker, who is being taken to the hospital. Hawkins takes Tom to Maris' body, where he recognizes her. Shaker is questioned by Hawkins about the shooting of the kidnappers. He claims Miles shot at him and Clark tried to run him over. When questioned about Maris, he says a bullet hit him and spun him around and he did not realize he had returned fire on a woman.
A few days later, after placing a backup revolver around his ankle, Shaker appears at the Mullen penthouse to receive the reward, claiming he wants to avoid the press. As Tom writes a check for him, Sean recognizes Shaker's voice. Seeing his son's reaction and hearing Shaker recite the phrase "Shouldn't be a problem" as the kidnapper did, Tom and Sean realize Shaker is the kidnapper. Tom gives Shaker the check with a false signature, but Shaker realizes that Tom is on to him. Shaker threatens to kill everyone in the house, but Tom convinces him to take him 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 covertly that the kidnapper is with him.
Cops converge on Tom and Shaker outside the bank. Shaker panics and opens fire, shooting both officers. Tom throws himself at Shaker and Shaker loses his gun to Tom. 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. Tom and Hawkins fire first, killing Shaker. The film closes as Hawkins stops the police from arresting Tom.
. Critic Roger Ebert
gave the movie three stars out of four, saying "Gibson gives an interesting performance, showing a man trying to think his way out of a crisis, and Sinise makes a good foil: Here are two smart men playing a game with deadly stakes."
1997 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (Saturn Award
s)
1997 Golden Globe Award
s
1997 Image Awards
1997 Young Artist Awards
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Rene Russo
Rene Russo
- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
, Delroy Lindo
Delroy Lindo
Delroy George Lindo is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award...
, Gary Sinise
Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
, Liev Schreiber
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
, Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
, Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
, Evan Handler
Evan Handler
Evan Handler is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, Charlotte's divorce attorney and later husband, on Sex and the City, and Charlie Runkle, Hank's comically bumbling friend and agent, on Californication.-Early life:Handler was born in New York City, the son of Enid...
and Brawley Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and directed by Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
. Gibson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
. Ransom was the 5th highest grossing film of 1996 in the United States. This film is a loose remake of the film of the same name
Ransom!
Ransom! is a 1956 crime drama examining the reactions of parents, police, and the public to a kidnapping. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film was based on a popular episode of "The United States Steel Hour" titled "Fearful Decision," which aired in 1954...
The original idea for the story was from an episode of The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
named "Fearful Decision" that aired in 1954. It was then adapted into a feature-length film of the same name
Ransom!
Ransom! is a 1956 crime drama examining the reactions of parents, police, and the public to a kidnapping. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film was based on a popular episode of "The United States Steel Hour" titled "Fearful Decision," which aired in 1954...
in 1956, written by Richard Maibaum
Richard Maibaum
Richard Maibaum was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels....
and Cyril Hume
Cyril Hume
Cyril Hume was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 29 films between 1924 and 1966.He was born in New York, New York and died in Palos Verdes, California.-Selected filmography:* The Invisible Boy...
starring Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
, Donna Reed
Donna Reed
Donna Reed was an American film and television actress.With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the tramp Lorene in the war drama From Here to Eternity. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas...
and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
. The film also was influenced by King's Ransom
King's Ransom (novel)
King's Ransom: An 87th Precinct Mystery is a novel by Ed McBain.The Japanese movie High and Low is loosely based on this novel....
, a police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
novel by Ed McBain which was, in turn, the basis for Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
1963 film High and Low.
The film earned mixed-to-positive reviews, and was a major financial success.
Plot
While multi-millionaire airline owner Tom Mullen attends a science fair that his wife Kate is judging, their son, Sean, is kidnapped. Sean is taken to an apartment by Maris Conner, who previously worked for the Mullens as a caterer, along with small-time criminal Cubby Barnes, Cubby's older brother Clark and high-tech criminal Miles Roberts. Tom and Kate receive an email from the kidnappers, demanding $2 million as ransomRansom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
. Tom calls the FBI, who set up a base of operations in his penthouse.
Detective Jimmy Shaker of the NYPD is arresting a perpetrator in a convenience store when Cubby nervously buys some FrankenBerry cereal
General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals
General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals are five current and formerly distributed breakfast cereal brands in North America. The series includes Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, and the discontinued Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy.-History:In 1971, the first two cereals in the...
. Shaker follows Cubby into the building where the kidnappers are residing; Shaker is the mastermind behind the kidnapping and is romantically involved with Maris. He insults Cubby for buying a box of kids' cereal in front of cops during a kidnapping investigation. The group argues over the plan to kill Sean once the ransom has been delivered. Cubby tells Clark that he plans to release Sean.
Tom agrees to the FBI instructions for delivering the ransom. Receiving a phone call from Shaker, who is electronically disguising his voice, Tom follows his instructions. Tom meets Cubby in a New Jersey quarry. Shaker indicated that Cubby would give Tom an address where Sean could be picked up in exchange for the money, but 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. FBI marksmen shoot Cubby in the neck, and he dies before he can reveal Sean's location to Tom.
Shaker calls again, setting up another ransom drop. Angered that the FBI followed him instead of the money as they had promised and killed his only lead, Tom insists on taking the money without being tracked. Realizing the first drop was a setup and there is no guarantee that Sean will come back alive, Tom drives to the TV station WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
Fox 5, going on the news and explaining that he refuses to pay the kidnappers. Instead he offers the $2 million ransom as a bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
. 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 where he attacks her and tells her to pay the ransom or Sean will die. Tom sticks to his plan, believing it is the best chance of having Sean returned, despite the pleadings of Kate and FBI Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins. He increases 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, leaving Tom and Kate believing their son is dead.
Shaker forms a new plan; he will kill Clark and Miles, pretend to rescue Sean, and claim the $4 million bounty for himself and Maris. He calls in a possible kidnapping to the NYPD and requests backup. He then flashes his badge and gun at Clark and Miles, who realize he has betrayed them. Clark tries running Shaker over with his van, but Shaker moves to the driver's side and fatally shoots Clark. He then kills Miles, making it look as though Miles shot first, before Maris shoots Shaker, wounding him in the shoulder. Maris was trying to back out of the plan. As she raises her gun, Shaker kills her and re-enters the apartment just before backup arrives. The SWAT team storms the apartment where Sean is being held, finding a wounded Shaker sitting next to Sean. He was careful that Sean never heard his voice and is sure that Sean, who was always blindfolded, will not recognize his face or voice, as the kidnappers drowned out their voices by blaring loud music in Sean's room.
Tom and Kate are grieving for their son when Hawkins takes them to the scene of Sean's rescue. Tom thanks Shaker, who is being taken to the hospital. Hawkins takes Tom to Maris' body, where he recognizes her. Shaker is questioned by Hawkins about the shooting of the kidnappers. He claims Miles shot at him and Clark tried to run him over. When questioned about Maris, he says a bullet hit him and spun him around and he did not realize he had returned fire on a woman.
A few days later, after placing a backup revolver around his ankle, Shaker appears at the Mullen penthouse to receive the reward, claiming he wants to avoid the press. As Tom writes a check for him, Sean recognizes Shaker's voice. Seeing his son's reaction and hearing Shaker recite the phrase "Shouldn't be a problem" as the kidnapper did, Tom and Sean realize Shaker is the kidnapper. Tom gives Shaker the check with a false signature, but Shaker realizes that Tom is on to him. Shaker threatens to kill everyone in the house, but Tom convinces him to take him 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 covertly that the kidnapper is with him.
Cops converge on Tom and Shaker outside the bank. Shaker panics and opens fire, shooting both officers. Tom throws himself at Shaker and Shaker loses his gun to Tom. 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. Tom and Hawkins fire first, killing Shaker. The film closes as Hawkins stops the police from arresting Tom.
Cast
- Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
as Tom Mullen - Rene RussoRene Russo- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
as Kate Mullen - Brawley Nolte as Sean Mullen
- Gary SiniseGary SiniseGary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
as Det. Jimmy Shaker - Delroy LindoDelroy LindoDelroy George Lindo is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award...
as Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins - Lili TaylorLili TaylorLili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
as Maris Conner - Liev SchreiberLiev SchreiberIsaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
as Clark Barnes - Donnie WahlbergDonnie WahlbergDonald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
as Cubby Barnes - Evan HandlerEvan HandlerEvan Handler is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, Charlotte's divorce attorney and later husband, on Sex and the City, and Charlie Runkle, Hank's comically bumbling friend and agent, on Californication.-Early life:Handler was born in New York City, the son of Enid...
as Miles Roberts - Nancy Ticotin as Special Agent Kimba Welch
- Michael GastonMichael GastonMichael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent Quinn on the show Prison Break. He appeared as Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series Jericho. He also appeared in the first season of The Sopranos as a compulsive gambler in trouble with Tony...
as Special Agent Jack Sickler - Kevin Neil McCready as Special Agent Paul Rhodes
- Paul GuilfoylePaul GuilfoylePaul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
as FBI Director Stan Wallace - Allen Bernstein as Bob Stone
- José ZúñigaJose ZunigaJosé Zúñiga is an American actor.Zúñiga was born in Honduras. He is best known for his roles in films such as Alive, Ransom, Con Air, Fresh, Crooklyn, Next Stop Wonderland and Twilight...
as David Torres - Dan HedayaDan HedayaDaniel G. “Dan” Hedaya is an American character actor. He often plays sleazy villains or uptight, wisecracking individuals; three of his best-known roles are as Italian Mafia boss Tony Costello in Wise Guys, a cuckolded husband in the Coen brothers' crime thriller Blood Simple, and the scheming...
as Jackie Brown
Reception
The movie has a 71% rating from Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the movie three stars out of four, saying "Gibson gives an interesting performance, showing a man trying to think his way out of a crisis, and Sinise makes a good foil: Here are two smart men playing a game with deadly stakes."
Awards and nominations
1997 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards- Won - Top Box Office Film
1997 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s)
- Nominated - Best Action/Adventure/Thriller FilmSaturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller FilmThe following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film:...
1997 Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
s
- Nominated - Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaGolden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
— Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
1997 Image Awards
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
- Nominated - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureThe NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:Performers that earned or won Academy Award nominations:*1. Denzel Washington- Glory*2. Djimon Hounsou- In America*3. Morgan Freeman- Million Dollar Baby...
— Delroy LindoDelroy LindoDelroy George Lindo is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award...
1997 Young Artist Awards
- Nominated - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor — Brawley Nolte