RANSOM

 

THREE STARS – Thought-provoking

 

 

       When we choose to do wrong we give evil a foothold in our lives.  At first, this choice is not recognized as dangerous.   But once chosen, evil’s grip begins to tighten around our lives until it has overtaken us. 

       This ruinous result of choosing wrong is powerfully displayed in Ron Howard’s new film “Ransom.”

       Though unnecessarily explicit in its bloody depiction of the consequences, Howard weaves a tale of evil in all its predictable peril in the life of an affluent family whose young son is kidnapped.

       Though at first the Mullens seem to be the epitome of the ideal American family, we soon realize that Tom, the father, is a self-made millionaire willing to bribe and frame others, destroying their lives, in order to keep his own position and wealth.

       Played compellingly by Mel Gibson, Tom Mullen has built an empire.  Cunning and powerful, he is at the apex of his career with a beautiful wife Kate (Rene Russo), and a charming 9 year old son named Sean  (Brawley Nolte).  But then Sean is kidnapped.

       As Mullen struggles with the powerlessness he feels in the face of such a threat, the guilt for his own wrongdoing begins to surface.  This is often the first consequence of wrong.   Our wrongdoing is never far beneath the surface of our lives and bubbles up whenever difficulty comes.  We intuitively wonder if we are in trouble now because of the wrong we’ve done before.

       When Mullen confesses to the FBI agent assigned to his son’s kidnapping, he is given the opportunity to face the man he framed and sent to prison.  But instead of admitting his own sin and having the man set free, he accuses him of retaliating by kidnapping his son. 

       This is the second consequence of wrongdoing.  Rather than humbly correcting our wrong, we often become even more angry at those we have sinned against.  Such blaming of our victims is experienced not only at an individual, but also at a societal level of our lives.  It is as though our evil has an insatiable hunger and our ability to destroy other’s lives causes us to want to destroy them even more.

       When it becomes obvious that Mullen’s victim has not sought revenge, we at first think that his guilt is unrelated to the sorrow of the kidnapping of his son.  But it is here that the film reaches its rich depth and power, for the kidnapper turns out to be a police detective who has chosen Mullen because he knows of his bribes and devious behaviors.

       Played with chilling coldness, the detective (Gary Sinise) has brought together a band of people whose evil purpose is obviously unsettling to their consciences. 

       Unlike love, which brings a group together around a mutually positive affection, evil creates a different type of union. 

       As each member struggles to deal with the implications of their plan, which includes killing the young boy, the film allows us to walk with them into their own darkness of soul.

       One member tries to avoid feeling by staying numb with alcohol.  Another tries to keep distant by treating the boy like a dog and not allowing herself to care about him.  And still another begins to share his food with the boy and decides that he cannot allow him to be killed.  But, in the final analysis, there is no salving their consciences or coming to a place of resolution with their deed.

       The complexity of the film in its intrigue and psychological ingredients is brought to its highest point when Mullen begins to think like the kidnapper and decides not to pay the ransom, instead of paying the ransom, he offers the 2 million dollars as a reward for the lives of the kidnappers themselves.  Such a solution is because of its slippery descent into the morass of evil itself.

       At first it seems that Mullen can win by fighting on the kidnapper’s level.  But the kidnapper’s evil cunning is only defeated when the truth of his identity is revealed by the innocent son and persistently pursued by the faithful FBI agent.

       “Ransom” is about the power of evil to take over lives.  Though bad things happen to good people, most often evil comes in full force in the lives of those who have chosen to do evil themselves.

 

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