Forbidden Planet is now getting a reboot decades after its release. Forbidden Planet was a originally a 1956 space adventure film about a group of people in 23rd century who go to investigate a colony of people living on a distant planet. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, Forbidden Planet's script was written by Cyril Hume. The film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox and featured a leading cast including Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Kelly, Richard Anderson, and Warren Stevens.
As per Deadline, a reboot of Forbidden Planet is now in the works. The film is being developed by Warner Bros. and it will be produced by Emma Watts. The screenwriter for the project will be Brian K. Vaughan. The cast and character details for the Forbidden Planet are yet to be revealed. Additionally, the extent to which the reboot will follow the original's plot is unknown.
As per Deadline, a reboot of Forbidden Planet is now in the works. The film is being developed by Warner Bros. and it will be produced by Emma Watts. The screenwriter for the project will be Brian K. Vaughan. The cast and character details for the Forbidden Planet are yet to be revealed. Additionally, the extent to which the reboot will follow the original's plot is unknown.
- 11/15/2024
- by Hannah Gearan
- ScreenRant
Back in 1956, director Fred M. Wilcox and writers Cyril Hume, Irving Block, and Allen Adler brought the world one of the most popular science fiction films ever made, Forbidden Planet, which earned an Oscar nomination for its special effects and, in 2013, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, as the film is regarded as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Of course, there have been rumblings of a remake for a long time. Fifteen years ago, there was even some talk about James Cameron directing the remake, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski was working on the screenplay. That take on the concept never made it into production, but now Deadline reports that Hugo and Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and screenwriter Brian K. Vaughan, who created the comics Y: The Last Man and Runaways and worked on the TV...
- 11/15/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
By Todd Garbarini
The Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Los Angeles will be presenting a fun-filled weekend of six science fiction classics from Friday, April 15th to Sunday, April 17th. Several cast members from the films are scheduled to appear in person at respective screenings, so read on for more information:
From the press release:
Anniversary Classics Sci-Fi Weekend
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: www.laemmle.com/ac.
Re-visit the Golden Age of the Science Fiction Film as Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series presents Sci-fi Weekend, a festival of six classic films April 15-17 at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
It was dawn of the Atomic Age and the Cold War, as Communist and nuclear war paranoia swept onto the nation’s movie screens to both terrify and entertain the American public. All the favorite icons are here: Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet,...
The Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Los Angeles will be presenting a fun-filled weekend of six science fiction classics from Friday, April 15th to Sunday, April 17th. Several cast members from the films are scheduled to appear in person at respective screenings, so read on for more information:
From the press release:
Anniversary Classics Sci-Fi Weekend
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: www.laemmle.com/ac.
Re-visit the Golden Age of the Science Fiction Film as Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series presents Sci-fi Weekend, a festival of six classic films April 15-17 at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
It was dawn of the Atomic Age and the Cold War, as Communist and nuclear war paranoia swept onto the nation’s movie screens to both terrify and entertain the American public. All the favorite icons are here: Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet,...
- 4/7/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Jim Knipfel Mar 15, 2019
Forbidden Planet is still dazzling and subversive, and an influence on most major space opera science fiction.
Despite the sudden and unexpected explosion in the popularity of science fiction films in the early 1950s, a number of major studios were resistant to the trend, considering the genre to be B-film fodder at best, and at worst childish gutter trash that was beneath them. When it became apparent just how much money could be made with sci-fi, however, most eventually relented. One neat trick that was used to justify taking the dive while preserving a bit of pride and self-respect was to produce lavish, big budget Technicolor adaptations of established sci-fi literary classics. As a result we ended up with George Pal’s versions of War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and Philip Wylie’s When Worlds Collide. Let Pal toss in his trademark heavy-handed Christian subtext,...
Forbidden Planet is still dazzling and subversive, and an influence on most major space opera science fiction.
Despite the sudden and unexpected explosion in the popularity of science fiction films in the early 1950s, a number of major studios were resistant to the trend, considering the genre to be B-film fodder at best, and at worst childish gutter trash that was beneath them. When it became apparent just how much money could be made with sci-fi, however, most eventually relented. One neat trick that was used to justify taking the dive while preserving a bit of pride and self-respect was to produce lavish, big budget Technicolor adaptations of established sci-fi literary classics. As a result we ended up with George Pal’s versions of War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and Philip Wylie’s When Worlds Collide. Let Pal toss in his trademark heavy-handed Christian subtext,...
- 3/8/2016
- Den of Geek
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Mel Gibson took on a big movie star role with Ransom. We take a look back at Ron Howard's 1996 thriller...
If you were a regular cinemagoer around 1996, then you can't help but have seen the trailer for Ron Howard's Ransom. Inevitably, time has dampened its impact a little but it was a promo that quite superbly sold the film (which would go on to take more than $300m at the box office worldwide). At first glance a tale of a rich man whose son is kidnapped, the trailer showed how the tables were to be turned: instead of the ransom money being handed over to the kidnappers, Gibson's character offered it as a bounty on the kidnappers' heads instead. The hunt is then turned around, quite cleverly.
Watching Ransom at the time, I always thought that the film, whilst not without merit, never fully delivered on that idea.
If you were a regular cinemagoer around 1996, then you can't help but have seen the trailer for Ron Howard's Ransom. Inevitably, time has dampened its impact a little but it was a promo that quite superbly sold the film (which would go on to take more than $300m at the box office worldwide). At first glance a tale of a rich man whose son is kidnapped, the trailer showed how the tables were to be turned: instead of the ransom money being handed over to the kidnappers, Gibson's character offered it as a bounty on the kidnappers' heads instead. The hunt is then turned around, quite cleverly.
Watching Ransom at the time, I always thought that the film, whilst not without merit, never fully delivered on that idea.
- 8/29/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Humankind’s collision with otherworldly life forms can make for unforgettable cinema.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
- 7/13/2014
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
Forbidden Planet (1956) Direction: Fred M. Wilcox Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Robby the Robot, Warren Stevens, Earl Holliman, Richard Anderson, Jack Kelly, George Wallace, Robert Dix Screenplay: Cyril Hume; from a story by Irving Block and Allen Adler inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tempest Oscar Movies Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, Robby the Robot, Forbidden Planet By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica: When one thinks of 1950s science-fiction films, one thinks of the sort of schlocky black-and-white B movies that were parodied on the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show. Yet, while there were a whole lot of films like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Robot Monster, the 1950s did have some truly good sci-fi movies, among them The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The War of the Worlds, and The Thing from Another World. For its literacy...
- 3/15/2011
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
Directed by: Fred M. Wilcox
Written by: Cyril Hume
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Earl Holliman
So, how great is this movie? Forbidden Planet, made in 1956 and directed by Fred M. Wilcox, is still one of the best sci-fi flicks around. But why is it so great? Maybe it's the wonderful futuristic set design or the little micro-mini skirt that the forward-thinking, hotsie-totsie Anne Francis runs around in (almost 15 years before they were acceptable fashion — talk about prescient). Or perhaps it's the pitch-perfect performances from vets like Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens and Earl Holliman (they know it's a goofy sci-fi flick, but they play it straight as straight can be — possibly because it’s based on Shakespeare's The Tempest). It could well be the impressive special effects and spacey electronic score, which were light years ahead of their time. But my bet is that it's all of the above,...
Written by: Cyril Hume
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Earl Holliman
So, how great is this movie? Forbidden Planet, made in 1956 and directed by Fred M. Wilcox, is still one of the best sci-fi flicks around. But why is it so great? Maybe it's the wonderful futuristic set design or the little micro-mini skirt that the forward-thinking, hotsie-totsie Anne Francis runs around in (almost 15 years before they were acceptable fashion — talk about prescient). Or perhaps it's the pitch-perfect performances from vets like Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens and Earl Holliman (they know it's a goofy sci-fi flick, but they play it straight as straight can be — possibly because it’s based on Shakespeare's The Tempest). It could well be the impressive special effects and spacey electronic score, which were light years ahead of their time. But my bet is that it's all of the above,...
- 11/30/2010
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Release Date: Available Now Director: Nicholas Ray Writers: Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum Cinematographer: Joe MacDonald Starring: James Mason, Barbara Rush Studio/Run Time: Criterion Collection, 95 min. Life-sized and all too prescient It’s little wonder that Nicholas Ray—Hollywood’s most trenchant observer of 1950s American society, who splashed caustic critiques across the silver screen—was almost blacklisted. What could parry the unanswerable questions raised by films like Rebel Without a Cause and Bitter Victory better than silencing the man doing the asking? Bigger Than Life, like those two other films, deals with a barely sustained middle-class family. It stars the eloquent James...
- 8/6/2010
- Pastemagazine.com
Bigger Than Life Directed by: Nicholas Ray Written by: Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum Starring: James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau, Robert Simon Nicholas Ray's 'Bigger Than Life' is a sort-of Cortisone version of Reefer Madness (Cortisone Madness?) with one discernible difference: Reefer Madness is shitty and boring whereas Bigger Than Life is most definitely not. Thanks to Criterion, Ray's vibrant visuals get the treatment they deserve with this blu ray special edition release. After suffering from potentially deadly inflamed arteries, teacher and family man Ed Avery (James Mason) is prescribed a new experimental drug, Cortisone. While the doctors warn of some potential side effects, they insist that Ed could be faced with death if he doesn't continue medicating himself for the rest of his life. The Avery family agrees to go through with the drug plan and are met with quick and positive results. Ed is...
- 4/8/2010
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Chicago – “God was wrong!” This line, spoken by the legendary James Mason in the remarkable “Bigger Than Life,” must have sent shockwaves through the audiences that heard it in 1956 and it’s not surprising that the film was shunned, buried, and only recently unearthed as a classic of its era. Directed by Nicholas Ray (“Rebel Without a Cause”), the film is the latest addition to the Criterion Collection and it’s stunningly good.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
With echoes of themes that David Lynch would explore thirty years later, “Bigger Than Life” is a masterful examination of the lies perpetrated by the white picket fence of suburbia displayed on shows like “Leave It to Beaver” or “Father Knows Best”. It is about the dissolution of a nuclear family but it is also about So much more. Above all else, Ray’s drama is a masterfully made piece of cinema with perfect performances,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
With echoes of themes that David Lynch would explore thirty years later, “Bigger Than Life” is a masterful examination of the lies perpetrated by the white picket fence of suburbia displayed on shows like “Leave It to Beaver” or “Father Knows Best”. It is about the dissolution of a nuclear family but it is also about So much more. Above all else, Ray’s drama is a masterfully made piece of cinema with perfect performances,...
- 4/2/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A classic science fiction movie before its time. That’s what I thought of the 1956 film, Forbidden Planet.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a classic film that will always stand the test of time. It had suspense, comedic cast support, a brave space crew, a tortured scientist, the hot but super intelligent young lady and a mysterious monster lurking just out of sight. All woven together masterfully in a screenplay by Cyril Hume, directed by Fred M. Wilcox and translated to us by stars such as Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen (no, he wasn’t the comedic support) and Robby the Robot.
As fellow Screen Rant writer Brian Ketler put it, Forbidden Planet is “Based loosely on ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare and tells the tale of the search for the missing [human] colonists of the planet Altair-4. The rescue team discovers the remains of an ancient alien civilization,...
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a classic film that will always stand the test of time. It had suspense, comedic cast support, a brave space crew, a tortured scientist, the hot but super intelligent young lady and a mysterious monster lurking just out of sight. All woven together masterfully in a screenplay by Cyril Hume, directed by Fred M. Wilcox and translated to us by stars such as Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen (no, he wasn’t the comedic support) and Robby the Robot.
As fellow Screen Rant writer Brian Ketler put it, Forbidden Planet is “Based loosely on ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare and tells the tale of the search for the missing [human] colonists of the planet Altair-4. The rescue team discovers the remains of an ancient alien civilization,...
- 12/23/2008
- by Bruce Simmons
- ScreenRant
After the critical success of his first-draft-straight-to-shooting script for Changeling (starring Angelina Jolie), Hollywood is finally cluing in to the true potential of writer J. Michael Straczynski. The creative genius behind Babylon 5, Straczynski (or Jms as he is more affectionately known), has his sights currently set on one of the true classics of the Sci-Fi genre:
Forbidden. Planet.
This week word of the new version of the classic Sci-Fi film surfaced on the internet and Jms has chimed in to let people know that report is not accurate.
AintItCool writer “Beaks” claims:
“We have additional info that indicates this is not so much a “remake” as a complementary piece to the Fred M. Wilcox/Cyril Hume classic.”
A sequel to the 1956 movie? Not so fast! According to Jms himself:
“That report is totally incorrect. It’s not going to be retro, and it’s not going to be a continuation.
Forbidden. Planet.
This week word of the new version of the classic Sci-Fi film surfaced on the internet and Jms has chimed in to let people know that report is not accurate.
AintItCool writer “Beaks” claims:
“We have additional info that indicates this is not so much a “remake” as a complementary piece to the Fred M. Wilcox/Cyril Hume classic.”
A sequel to the 1956 movie? Not so fast! According to Jms himself:
“That report is totally incorrect. It’s not going to be retro, and it’s not going to be a continuation.
- 11/8/2008
- by Brian Kettler
- ScreenRant
Harry Knowles at Ain’t it Cool News provided his site with additional information regarding the just-announced remake of Forbidden Planet.
The movie, to be written by J. Michael Straczynski and produced by Joel Silver will be more a sequel than remake. The presumption is that Altair 4 did not blow up at the end of the Fred M. Wilcox/Cyril Hume classic.
The report goes on to say that the look will be that of an "enormous, giant, retro sci-fi movie"; likely retaining the original designs. All concerned have confirmed that the beloved Robby the Robot will return with his design unaltered.
Meantime, Straczynski confirmed that he has just finished a rewrite to the Thor script for director Kenneth Branagh.
The movie, to be written by J. Michael Straczynski and produced by Joel Silver will be more a sequel than remake. The presumption is that Altair 4 did not blow up at the end of the Fred M. Wilcox/Cyril Hume classic.
The report goes on to say that the look will be that of an "enormous, giant, retro sci-fi movie"; likely retaining the original designs. All concerned have confirmed that the beloved Robby the Robot will return with his design unaltered.
Meantime, Straczynski confirmed that he has just finished a rewrite to the Thor script for director Kenneth Branagh.
- 11/6/2008
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
The classic 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet is next to be remade. Warner Brothers and Joel Silver have picked up writer J. Michael Straczynski, one of the starters of "Babylon 5" and writer of Clint Eastwood's Changeling most recently, as well as the recent Thor comics for Marvel, to rewrite Cyril Hume's script. Over the years, this project has been in the hands of James Cameron and David Twohy amongst many others, but only recently did it settle at Warner Brothers. The original follows a starship crew that is sent to investigate the silence of a planet's colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has. Unfortunately the original Forbidden Planet is one of the few classic sci-fi movies I haven't yet seen, but that might change this weekend. Obviously the remake will have to be modernized and as long as Straczynski writes a grittier,...
- 10/31/2008
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Film review: 'Ransom'
Mel Gibson doesn't have to paint his face blue in "Ransom" because he's positively blue in the face, expressing the rage of a father whose son has been kidnapped. A knuckle-tightening thriller directed by Ron Howard and featuring a full-throttle, pull-no-punches performance from Gibson, this Touchstone film should capture a king's ransom at the boxoffice for Buena Vista.
In this tight and twisting thriller, Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a self-made millionaire whose against-the-grain sensibilities and can-do gumption have made him an airline tycoon. An edgy and instinctive guy, Mullen has also succeeded on the family front just as spectacularly. With a supportive and striking wife (Rene Russo) and a rambunctiously smart son (Brawley Nolte), he's the king of his Manhattan penthouse world.
Common to all those who have ascended so fast, Mullen has also ruffled a few feathers along the way and caught the attention of those who wish to profit from his success. He's been investigated for bribing a union official to avert a strike against his airline, and his brash ways have obviously rattled other cages. Not surprisingly, the charismatic, high-profile business tycoon is targeted by a devious band of criminals who consider him a bird for the plucking. Led by an egomaniacal and technically savvy ringleader (Gary Sinise), these desperate goons kidnap Mullen's young son, demanding a $2 million ransom.
Playing by the rules, Mullen calls in the FBI, but things go awry when standard procedure botches things up: He fears that going by the book will only get his son killed. He's always followed his instincts and he senses, quite rightly, that the kidnappers' cunning leader will surely kill his son once the money is delivered. Mullen's whole life has been based on daring, and he's not one to sit passively by while law enforcement performs like automatons.
In this psychologically perceptive scenario, Mullen turns the tables on the kidnappers, going on TV and announcing that not only will he not pay the ransom but he will use that money as a reward. He reasons that the only way he will see his son alive is to keep the kidnappers off-balance. The FBI is irate, and Mullen's brainy wife goes berserk, thinking his actions will surely lead to their son's death.
Spiked with the passions of a strong personal story and perambulating down unexpected plot corridors, "Ransom" gyrates with a chilling and ever-escalating intensity. Screenwriters Richard Price and Alexander Ignon have carefully steeped the story stakes in deeply personal passions and ignited a highly combustible series of dramatic explosions. In turn, director Howard has kept the story dial on a high chill, tightening the screws as well as unleashing its sinister, implosive forces.
It's Gibson's raging performance as the fiercely protective father that torches this production to its highest flashes. His edgy ferocity, capturing both his character's bravery and decency, is wonderfully explosive and genuinely sympathetic. Similarly, Russo's performance flashes with maternal mettle, evincing a woman torn between belief in her husband and love for her child.
In this type of chiller, the film is only as good as the badness of the villain, and Sinise is terrific -- rivetingly sinister as the egocentric sociopath who takes sadistic pleasure in his dark deeds. Delroy Lindo is also outstanding as a conscientious FBI agent whose sincere professionalism is tested by Mullen's manic methods.
RANSOM
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures Presents
A Brian Grazer/Scott Rudin production
A Ron Howard film
Producers Scott Rudin, Brian Grazer,
B. Kipling Hagopian
Director Ron Howard
Screenwriters Richard Price, Alexander Ignon
Story Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Director of photography Piotr Sobocinski
Production design Michael Corenblith
Editors Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
Costume design Rita Ryack
Music James Horner
Executive producer Todd Hallowell
Co-producers Adan Schroeder, Susan Merzbach
Casting:Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Associate producers Aldric La'Auli Porter,
Louisa Velis
Sound Danny Michael
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tom Mullen Mel Gibson
Kate Mullen Rene Russo
Sean Mullen Brawley Nolte
Jimmy Shaker Gary Sinise
Agent Lonnie Hawkins Delroy Lindo
Maris Connor Lili Taylor
Clark Barnes Liev Schreiber
Cubby Barnes Donnie Wahlberg
Miles Roberts Evan Handler
Agent Kimba Welch Nancy Ticotin
Agent Jack Sickler Michael Gaston
Agent Paul Rhodes
Kevin Neil McCready
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
In this tight and twisting thriller, Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a self-made millionaire whose against-the-grain sensibilities and can-do gumption have made him an airline tycoon. An edgy and instinctive guy, Mullen has also succeeded on the family front just as spectacularly. With a supportive and striking wife (Rene Russo) and a rambunctiously smart son (Brawley Nolte), he's the king of his Manhattan penthouse world.
Common to all those who have ascended so fast, Mullen has also ruffled a few feathers along the way and caught the attention of those who wish to profit from his success. He's been investigated for bribing a union official to avert a strike against his airline, and his brash ways have obviously rattled other cages. Not surprisingly, the charismatic, high-profile business tycoon is targeted by a devious band of criminals who consider him a bird for the plucking. Led by an egomaniacal and technically savvy ringleader (Gary Sinise), these desperate goons kidnap Mullen's young son, demanding a $2 million ransom.
Playing by the rules, Mullen calls in the FBI, but things go awry when standard procedure botches things up: He fears that going by the book will only get his son killed. He's always followed his instincts and he senses, quite rightly, that the kidnappers' cunning leader will surely kill his son once the money is delivered. Mullen's whole life has been based on daring, and he's not one to sit passively by while law enforcement performs like automatons.
In this psychologically perceptive scenario, Mullen turns the tables on the kidnappers, going on TV and announcing that not only will he not pay the ransom but he will use that money as a reward. He reasons that the only way he will see his son alive is to keep the kidnappers off-balance. The FBI is irate, and Mullen's brainy wife goes berserk, thinking his actions will surely lead to their son's death.
Spiked with the passions of a strong personal story and perambulating down unexpected plot corridors, "Ransom" gyrates with a chilling and ever-escalating intensity. Screenwriters Richard Price and Alexander Ignon have carefully steeped the story stakes in deeply personal passions and ignited a highly combustible series of dramatic explosions. In turn, director Howard has kept the story dial on a high chill, tightening the screws as well as unleashing its sinister, implosive forces.
It's Gibson's raging performance as the fiercely protective father that torches this production to its highest flashes. His edgy ferocity, capturing both his character's bravery and decency, is wonderfully explosive and genuinely sympathetic. Similarly, Russo's performance flashes with maternal mettle, evincing a woman torn between belief in her husband and love for her child.
In this type of chiller, the film is only as good as the badness of the villain, and Sinise is terrific -- rivetingly sinister as the egocentric sociopath who takes sadistic pleasure in his dark deeds. Delroy Lindo is also outstanding as a conscientious FBI agent whose sincere professionalism is tested by Mullen's manic methods.
RANSOM
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures Presents
A Brian Grazer/Scott Rudin production
A Ron Howard film
Producers Scott Rudin, Brian Grazer,
B. Kipling Hagopian
Director Ron Howard
Screenwriters Richard Price, Alexander Ignon
Story Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Director of photography Piotr Sobocinski
Production design Michael Corenblith
Editors Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
Costume design Rita Ryack
Music James Horner
Executive producer Todd Hallowell
Co-producers Adan Schroeder, Susan Merzbach
Casting:Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Associate producers Aldric La'Auli Porter,
Louisa Velis
Sound Danny Michael
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tom Mullen Mel Gibson
Kate Mullen Rene Russo
Sean Mullen Brawley Nolte
Jimmy Shaker Gary Sinise
Agent Lonnie Hawkins Delroy Lindo
Maris Connor Lili Taylor
Clark Barnes Liev Schreiber
Cubby Barnes Donnie Wahlberg
Miles Roberts Evan Handler
Agent Kimba Welch Nancy Ticotin
Agent Jack Sickler Michael Gaston
Agent Paul Rhodes
Kevin Neil McCready
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/4/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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