Ransom (1996)

Crisp, taut, and often preposterous, Ron Howard's Ransom is as eager a suspenseful potboiler as they come. For the most part, it scores, with Mel Gibson revisiting the righteous anger that worked so well for him in films like Mad Max and Braveheart. The film absorbs the viewer from the start, as a disorienting abduction scene teaches Rene Russo's character how simply -- and perhaps irrevocably -- a loved one can be whisked away. As they process the kidnappers' demands, the Mullens and FBI agents reach great heights of melodramatic emotion, worrying that brashness has cost them their son. Meanwhile, the parallel scenes in the kidnappers' headquarters reveal that their stakes are equally high, and that their strategizing must be just as methodical. A little in awe of what they've done, they display a sense of high-strung uneasiness that's unusual in movie villains, often known for their evil stoicism. But the film makes a bit of a misstep when it thrusts Gibson into vigilante mode. It's meant to be a statement on Gibson's descent into madness -- inspired by the belief that his son is dead -- that he places a bounty on the heads of his son's captors. But it's hard to fully support a hero in the wake of such a reckless decision. The viewer is left with the nagging notion that if the child is killed, his father will have provoked it. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide