RANSOM

Rated: R

Release Date: November 08, 1996

Runtime: 2 Hours 00 Minutes

Directed By: Ron Howard

$10.00

Starring: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise

Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is the self-made, wealthy head of a large airline, Endeavor. In events that are not depicted in the film but that become important to the storyline, Mullen acts to head off a labor strike by bribing a union head named Jackie Brown (Dan Hedaya). After the FBI begins investigating, Mullen falsely blames Brown for having initiated the bribe. Tom's lie lands Brown in prison but leads to Mullen and his airline being subject to FBI scrutiny for months. The movie begins as Mullen and his wife, Kate, host a party to celebrate the release of a new Endeavor Airlines commercial for television that features Tom prominently. Shortly thereafter, Mullen's son, Sean, is kidnapped while the family attends an outdoor science fair in Central Park. The kidnappers initially contact Tom and Kate by e-mail, with a video attachment showing Sean tied to a bed and blindfolded. The ransom for Sean's safe return, they are told, is $2 million. At first, the Mullens believe Jackie Brown is behind the kidnapping, but he angrily denies any knowledge when Tom visits him in prison.

A later scene (with a plot twist) reveals that the kidnappers' leader is actually Detective James Shaker (Gary Sinise). Among the kidnappers are siblings Clark and Cubby Barnes (Liev Schreiber and Donnie Wahlberg), two small-time thugs; Maris Connor (Lili Taylor), who is actually the Mullens' caterer and Shaker's girlfriend; and alcoholic computer genius Miles Roberts (Evan Handler), who scrambles the phone lines to stop them from being traced and disguising Shaker's voice through communicating with the Mullens. While the others are either indifferent or hostile to Sean, Cubby talks to Sean and promises him that he will be returned to his parents alive.

The Mullens contact the FBI, led by Lonnie Hawkins (Delroy Lindo). Soon enough, Shaker contacts Mullen and gives him a series of instructions to bring the money to a drop-off point, also promising to give him an address in return. However, at the drop-off, Cubby, who was chosen by Shaker to pick the money up, has no clue of any address, and in the ensuing fight, Cubby is shot and killed by the FBI. At this point, it becomes painfully obvious to Tom that Shaker has no intention of returning Sean even if he receives the money. The kidnappers take Sean to a secluded part of the woods to discuss what they are going to do. His hands are tied behind his back with rope; he is cleave gagged with a piece of white cloth that has duct tape placed over that; and is blindfolded with more strips of duct tape.

Although Clark almost kills Sean in anger (to get revenge on Shaker by ruining his plans), Shaker stops him, and later berates Tom on the phone for breaking the deal. Shaker then gives Tom another set of instructions to follow and drop the money off at a certain point where Clark will be waiting. But on the way, Tom sees his son's face on a television, and makes a change of plan. He appears on television with a message for Shaker: he no longer intends to pay him the $2 million. Instead, he will offer the money as a reward for anyone who finds the man responsible for his son's abduction, and will only withdraw the bounty and drop all charges if his son is returned alive and unharmed, therefore turning the tables on Sean's captors.

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