Ransom
1996 · Directed by Ron Howard
Original language: English
- action
- thriller
The story
When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.
What it’s like
Tight, sweaty New York thriller light: mid-1990s Manhattan rendered in hard fluorescent hospital glare, dim wood-panelled penthouse rooms, rain-slick streets under sodium streetlamps, and a lot of handheld, close-in camera that stays on faces during the worst moments. The palette is warm and cramped at home and cold, grey and institutional everywhere else, with a restless, pulsing score that keeps tension climbing rather than resolving. It is an edgy, anxious ride with a glossy surface, the sort of watch that suits a late-night couch session or a wired weekend afternoon. The pacing is relentless, with a few quieter scenes of a parent's raw grief and a father who grows colder and more defiant as the stakes rise, his arc hardening from desperate pleading into cold, public confrontation. Intensity is moderate to high: a child is in peril throughout, there are tense, threatening confrontations and a few sharp bursts of violence, with a gun-heavy finale, but nothing is lingered on in gore and there is no sexual content. Fear and dread drive it more than blood. It is for viewers who want a jittery, plot-forward crime thriller with a strong lead performance and a sharp, cynical view of the media and police.
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