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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Ransom" is a taut thriller
about one man's desperation and determination to
get back his kidnapped son. Mel Gibson headlines
as Tom Mullen -- a man whose seemingly perfect
world is shattered when his son, Sean (Brawley
Nolte) is stolen from him during a science fair in
Central Park. Rene Russo plays Tom's wife, Kate.
She's at odds with Tom's plan to offer the ransom
money as a bounty on the kidnappers instead.
Gary Sinise plays Det. Jimmy Shaker -- a man
seemingly out to help the Mullen's regain their
child, but who may have ulterior motives on his
mind. Lily Taylor adds genuine weight to the role
of Maris Connor, part of the band of ruthless
kidnappers who begins to suspect that their
ringleader may be shaping up for a little in-house
betrayal. As far as suspense and deception go --
they don't get much better than "Ransom."
Unfortunately, no one at Touchstone seems to care.
The quality of this transfer is, pending a few
truly horrific digital transfers that I have seen
in my lifetime, really nothing to get worked up
about. This DVD is not anamorphically enhanced for
16:9 displays. Colors are generally weak and often
muddy and on occasion tend to bleed. Fine detail
is completely lost in the darker scenes and
contrast levels are way, way too low. Black levels
register as more of a dirty brown than black.
Aliasing, shimmering of fine details and edge
enhancement are all present for a very uneven
visual presentation. There is no excuse for the
barrage of "age-related " nicks, chips and
scratches that are all over this visual
presentation. Some films from the 1950s don't look
this bad!!! The audio is Stereo Surround. Apart
from the extras, this is virtually the same DVD as
previously released by Buena Vista. What a crock!
Extras include deleted scenes, an audio
commentary, a really brief making of featurette
and the original theatrical trailer. But if this
is Buena Vista's idea of a Special Edition, I'd
hate to see what their idea of bare bones is.
Oops! Almost forget. I have seen it on "Beaches,"
"I Love Trouble," "Pretty Woman," "Can't Buy Me
Love," "Adventures In Babysitting." |
