La Rançon

A game of cat and mouse, but without the mouse being scared of the cat. A remarkable thriller that puts forward the argument that you don't negotiate with kidnappers even at the risk of endangering the kidnapped person's life. I identify with that and Mel Gibson couldn't have played it better. (21/04/2003)

The screenplay's cleverly devised mid-story turning point essentially forms the foundation for the entire film. Because of this turning point, we are "compelled" to watch the first half, in which we don't get anything new except for the classic cat-and-mouse game. However, the second half relies on the effect of "something new" and, above all, the power of the performances by the actors. The duo of Mel Gibson and Rene Russo complement each other excellently, starting from the third installment of Lethal Weapon, and here, once again, they shine together more than adequately. However, the fascinatingly cold-blooded villain, played by Gary Sinise, eventually becomes director Ron Howard's main trump card. In addition to the already mentioned atmosphere, Howard managed the overall tone of the film exceptionally well, especially the ending. It could have buried all the carefully built tension deep underground, but instead, it becomes a very reasonable compromise between a discreet homage to Hollywood's deities with all the necessary clichés and the preceding intelligence that opposes it. Skillfully executed filmmaking with no complaints against it. (17/09/2005)

There are still some old cobwebs in my sleeves and so I decided to watch the movie Ransom with my favorite, Mel Gibson. I often think he’s my favorite, but at one point I remembered how many important movies of his I hadn’t ever seen and I thought I must immediately fix that. And so I did. Ransom is overall a precisely done crime investigation movie that’s not downright genius, but it’s solid work for sure. And that’s the most important part. For the entire two hours, the suspense is so thick it could be cut with a butter knife and so it definitely served its purpose. (02/11/2012)

A well-cast thriller with a strong and surprising story. Mel Gibson is as great in the role of a dejected father as Gary Sinise is as a dangerously clever kidnapper. Unfortunately, it seemed to me that Ron Howard somehow couldn't handle the plot. In places it was as if the movie found it hard to hold itself together. Perhaps I am too demanding but nevertheless it’s a very good watch. (07/06/2008)

Ron Howard is unable to shoot a properly gripping film, but Ransom is thematically so interesting that the two-hour runtime can be easily endured. There is, of course, no shortage of clichés, and occasionally the film even reaches for that mainstream Hollywood feel, but there are moments of light with some particularly excellent scenes. Gary Sinise's clever “cop killer” move is worth mentioning, as well as the incredibly suggestive “urination” scene towards the end, and especially the telephone dialogues between Mel Gibson and the kidnappers. The character of Delroy Lindo is a bit of a hindrance, as he doesn't have any deeper justification (or at least I didn't find it). Finally, it would be good to mention the excellent action, there’s an unusual amount of blood for Howard. (20/01/2007)