14 June 2015

Ransom


by Leigh Lundin

Today’s article will be a short two minutes —or— two hours long— if you wish to take the whole trip.

John Floyd and I’ve mentioned that Mel Gibson has returned to making movies and we’ve enjoyed a couple of his recent films. He seems to have begun a rehabilitation as a man and an actor. While many feel Gibson has not paid for his sins, he's kept his head down and his nose to the grindstone. People love it when a lost soul finds their way back on track and into our minds and hearts, and it would be good if he manages to dig his way out of the hole he dug himself into.

While not thinking of Gibson at all, I found myself reading about a 1954 United States Steel Hour teleplay “Fearful Decision”. It spawned a loosely based 1956 film, Ransom! starring Glenn Ford. That spawned a loosely based 1996 film, Ransom, starring Gary Sinise and our friend, ta-da… Mel Gibson. The central thread of the plots centers upon fathers forced to deal with the kidnappers of their sons, making tough decisions condemned by others, but with method to their madness.

I’d seen the 1996 film and thought it brilliant. Frankly I’d forgotten Gibson was in it and it was nice to reconnect. If you haven’t seen Ransom, the plot is superb. It’s so well done, SleuthSayers is bringing it to you here.

This is the full film which you can stream to your television or watch on your computer. I highly recommend it.

8 comments:

  1. I agree with you and John, Leigh, "Ransom" is an excellent film. Both Gibson and Sinise are brilliant.

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  2. David, I’d almost forgotten the film until I came across the discussion of its predecessors, which I haven’t seen but would love to. But I like the defiant mode of the father, similar to that of some of my own characters.

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  3. Outstanding! Save my seat, I’m goin’ for popcorn. I’ve found Gibson’s crime and action movies entertaining, and hope he can free himself from whatever got hold of him.

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  4. Thanks, Leigh! Looks like we'll be using the playstation to stream it on the big screen in the living room.

    --Dixon

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  5. Well put, Peter. It's a shame to see a talent (or anybody, really) self-destruct.

    Dixon, let me know how your family likes it.

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  6. A Broad Abroad14 June, 2015 21:41

    I saw Mel Gibson’s ‘Ransom’, and, like you and John F, thought it outstanding. Have not seen any of his recent films. Without sounding holier-than-thou, he has a long way to go before redeeming himself in my eyes...if ever.

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  7. Enjoyed this column, Leigh. Mel Gibson does have his demons, that's for sure, but he's a great actor. Favorite movies, besides Ransom: Signs, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, Edge of Darkness. If you want to see how good he is as a director, watch Apocalypto and Braveheart.

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  8. ABA, I understand how you feel. Sometimes we admire the work of someone who otherwise seems awful. Thanks for suggesting wording within the article.

    John, I meant to watch Apocalypto, but got side-tracked. Edge of Darkness… I can't recall if I saw that or not. I'm going to look that up. Those two aside, I think Ransom is my favorite followed by the Lethal Weapon series.

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