Forget The Passion of the Christ. 1996’s Ransom
serves as a reminder that before all the religious hoopla, Mel Gibson did have
a career, and a sterling one at that. Tightly directed by the hit-or-miss Ron
Howard, the remake (of a 1956 Glenn Ford teleplay) boasts some of Gibson’s
best onscreen work to date. As the wealthy father of a kidnapped nine-year-old,
Gibson is well paired with Lethal Weapon costar Rene Russo,
and their chemistry, in conjunction with fine work from an ensemble comprised
of Lili Taylor, Delroy Lindo, Gary Sinese, Donnie Walberg, Liev Schrieber, and
Evan Handler, results in one of the most riveting, emotionally satisfying thrillers
to date.
Ransom tells the story of a multimillionaire airline executive
Tom Mullen (Gibson), who decides to turn the tables on his child (Brawley Nolte,
son of Nick)’s kidnappers, turning a hefty ransom fee into a two-million
dollar lottery ticket. The 1956 version, which starred Ford and Donna Reed,
featured a much more wholesome family, and Gibson worked with Howard and screenwriter
Richard Price to create an ambiguous central character whose shady dealings
(with Dan Hedaya’s Jackie Brown) may have played a role in his son’s
kidnapping. Scorsese pulled a similar trick with his remake of Cape Fear, and
it works wonderfully. What makes Ransom so unique is that it humanizes the kidnappers
who- gutsily played by Schreiber, Handler, Taylor, Walberg (in a role Jack Black
and Phillip Seymour-Hoffman auditioned for) and Sinese- are just as dysfunctional
and almost as loving as the Mullen’s.
Price’s screenplay takes the time to create characters clearly more complex
than in your average thriller (Lindo is superb as the FBI agent who nearly succeeds
in driving a permanent wedge between Mullen and his wife); it’s also fast-paced
and constantly surprising. The look of this film, from the opening overhead
pan of New York City to the harrowing black and white ending sequence, also
is superb. Major kudos to late cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski, whose point-of-view
based cinematography perfectly captures the horror and confusion of losing a
child in a crowded city, along with the devastating aftermath. Editor Dan Hanley,
who discusses the making of Ransom on the featurette “What would you do?”
(more “how would you shoot a movie?” than “what would you
do if your son was taken?”) helps to create a tense, polished look.
Unfortunately, the Special Edition DVD’s marketing is misleading, claiming
to include two-plus hours of “rare bonus footage”, most of which
is just the standard director’s commentary. The rest of the features-
deleted scenes, several amusing “between the takes” outtakes, a
trailer, and a “making of” featurette- are not nearly as extensive
as the package promises.
The commentary is a pretty good one. Howard, whose movies are always entertaining,
if not consistently successful (my favorites are Parenthood,
Splash, and Apollo 13; The Missing
was a disappointment), discusses his relation to the material (“As
a father, this would be the ultimate nightmare, this was a crime I could relate
to on a personal level”); he also provides worthy info for aspiring filmmakers,
describing different filming techniques, the importance of collaboration, and
working with actors. He talks in-depth about working with Gibson, who provided
ample input and filmed despite an appendicitis and a blown knee; Ransom was
shot around the time Gibson won an Academy Award for Braveheart and
Howard was overlooked for Apollo 13- comments on this also
find their way onto the DVD.
The rest of the special features are pretty skimpy for a Special Edition. There’s
less than four minutes of deleted scenes, completely extraneous material comprised
mostly of Lindo outtakes. I know that there are other scenes- I remember seeing
a scene between Russo and a female FBI agent on the laserdisc, so it’s
odd that they didn’t include it on the DVD. The “Between the Takes”
option has some cute footage of Howard, Gibson, and Russo goofing off, but at
four minutes it’s awfully brief. Better is the “What Would You Do?”
Featurette, which includes interviews with Hanley and Howard, as well as members
of the cast. There’s also an international trailer (which, in my opinion,
gives away too much), along with French and Spanish subtitles and an audio option
in French.
The Bottom Line: Great movie, so-so features. But if you haven’t yet
seen Ransom, don’t let the “Passion” controversy
deter you from an awesome film.
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