Top 100 Movies Of The 1990's: #43 Ransom
Box Office: $136.5 Million
Oscar Nominations: None
Oscar Wins: None
MovieRankings.Net: 77/100
Available To Stream: Not Available. You can purchase the physical DVD.
This is a much better movie than it gets credit for. A lot has to do with Mel Gibson getting semi-cancelled. It's also because Ron Howard movies for some reason being hard to stream (You can't find Cocoon either). Maybe it also got sort of lost among all the strong movies that came out in the late 90's. When it was released in 1996, independent cinema was all the rage. This is not that. Ransom is a studio movie with a big star.
There are two scenes that set this movie apart from a standard action/thriller. I'm going to say spoilers about a 27 year old movie. Figured I'd at least give the warning out.
Gibson turning the tables on the kidnappers is what makes this movie different from a standard parent in distress movie. This is such a great scene and Gibson carries the Hell out of it. The acting in this movie is exceptional. It's the best work Rene Russo has done in her entire career. You absolutely believe these people lost their kid.
The reason Mel Gibson is so great in Lethal Weapon, Mad Max and this is because he does seem a little crazy. His eyes are wild. He's someone who seems 90% there but that 10% could do anything. He's also someone who could be a bad human being. He's said both anti-semetic and homophobic things in the past. He's also been accused of domestic violence. He's also wildly talented. The last movie he directed (Hacksaw Ridge) came after a number of these scandals and was still Oscar nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.
The other great performance in this movie is the one by Gary Sinise. Up until this point he had only been good guys in Forrest Gump, The Stand and Apollo 13. Believe it or not, people were legitimately shocked in 1996 when the reveal comes that Sinise is the mastermind of this. He plays evil perfectly and the other scene that ranks this movie so highly for me is the one at the end with Gibson and Sinise.
Brawley Nolte plays the kid who is kidnapped and he is fantastic here. The fear seems so palpable. He didn't really act much after this. His dad is Nick Nolte but maybe between that and this movie, he had enough of show business? But he is really good in this.
These twists elevate this movie so much in my eyes. I know most people reading this probably like a different Mel Gibson movie from the 1990's more than this one. If you're a Braveheart fan, I really do get it. But I also disagree. This is my list and while it's absolutely fair and valid to disagree with this list, I'm not going to lie about which movie I like more. It's my list and I'll own it even if you think I'm crazy.
I might be completely alone with this but if I have the choice of watching Ransom or Braveheart, give me Ransom every single time.
43. Ransom
44. Wayne's World
45. The Insider
46. Back To The Future Part III
47. A Bronx Tale
48. The People Vs. Larry Flynt
49. Eyes Wide Shut
50. The Sandlot
51. Happy Gilmore
52. Contact
53. The Green Mile
54. Man On The Moon
55. Boyz N The Hood
56. Grosse Pointe Blank
57. Independence Day
58. The Rainmaker
59. Go
60. The Firm
61. Magnolia
62. The Talented Mr. Ripley
63. Tommy Boy
64. The Usual Suspects
65. In The Line Of Fire
66. My Cousin Vinny
67. Awakenings
68. JFK
69. Toy Story
70. Home Alone
71. Jerry Maguire
72. Titanic
73. Billy Madison
74. Apollo 13
75. Braveheart
76. Edward Scissorhands
77. Cape Fear
78. The River Wild
79. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
80. 12 Monkeys
81. Stir Of Echoes
82. Mission: Impossible
83. Total Recall
84. Quiz Show
85. For Love Of The Game
86. Being John Malkovich
87. Men In Black
88. Scream
89. Alive
90. Three Kings
91. Glengarry Glen Ross
92. Die Hard With A Vengeance
93. The Blair Witch Project
94. Twister
95. Dirty Work
96. Election
97. Tremors
98. Any Given Sunday
99. The Wedding Singer
100. Clerks