Wolff rating: EXCELLENT
Plot summary: Rich and handsome airline executive loses son to kidnappers.
Biased, pithy comments: Ron Howard can make some of the tensest films on earth, mostly because he knows how to make people care about characters. He spends time filming good actors reacting like human beings to things that otherwise might seem a little too Hollywood for their own good. Ransom is at thriller that spends time following characters around, and tight directing and a complicated plot make this a must-see for people (like me) who like big-budget, big-star thrillers. I found myself contracting into my seat as things got more and more complicated. There's a bit of a cop-out near the end, where Howard could have examined the darkests thoughts in a kidnap-victim's parents, but it doesn't make this a bad show. Hear, hear, for a good story and good directing. See it.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, and a New Kid on the Block.
Directed by: Ron Howard