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Ransom

Ransom

Action · Thriller · 1996

When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.

Movie details

Ransom

“Someone is going to pay.”

1996 Action · Thriller 2h 1m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.7 / 10

143.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

73 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

61 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Ransom?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Cash Out

Cash Out

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Criminal mastermind Mason is about to execute the score of a lifetime when his lover and key member of his crew, Decker, takes the team down and reveals she’s an undercover Interpol agent. Heartbroken, Mason escapes and retires from the life of crime until his younger brother Shawn is out of his league taking on a big bank heist all on his own. Mason has no choice left but to come to the rescue, while Interpol brings Decker in hoping to unnerve him. Before the SWAT teams storm the bank, Mason must use every tool in his arsenal to not only escape with the prize, but also the love of his life.

Inside Man: Most Wanted

Inside Man: Most Wanted

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An NYPD hostage negotiator teams up with a federal agent to rescue dozens of tourists held hostage during a 10-hour seige at the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Close Range

Close Range

Action · 2015

A rogue soldier turned outlaw is thrust into a relentless fight with a corrupt sheriff, his obedient deputies, and a dangerous drug cartel in order to protect his sister and her young daughter.

Hostage

Hostage

Action · 2005

When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer – wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator – must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.

Close

Close

Action · 2019

A counter-terrorism expert takes a job protecting a young heiress. After an attempted kidnapping puts both of their lives in danger, they must flee.

Get Fast

Get Fast

Action · 2024

When The Thief’s partner is kidnapped after stealing millions in cash from a merciless drug lord named Nushi, he reluctantly teams up with an angst-ridden orphan to rescue him. Nushi enlists her most trusted hitman, The Cowboy, a lovable charmer who’s quick with his guns, to track down the Thief. Guns, cars, and explosions will give the newfound partners a head start, but how long will they be able to keep it up?

A Working Man

A Working Man

Action · 2025

Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

Breaking In

Breaking In

Action · 2018

Shaun Russell takes her son and daughter on a weekend getaway to her late father's secluded, high-tech vacation home in the countryside. The family soon gets an unwelcome surprise when four men break into the house to find hidden money. After managing to escape, Shaun must now figure out a way to turn the tables on the desperate thieves and save her captive children.

Sleepless

Sleepless

Action · 2017

Undercover Las Vegas police officer Vincent Downs, who has a lot of enemies, is caught in a high stakes web of corrupt cops and the mob-controlled casino underground. When a heist goes wrong, a crew of homicidal gangsters kidnap Downs’ teenage son T. In one sleepless night, Downs will have to rescue his son, evade an internal affairs investigation, and bring the kidnappers to justice.

Heist

Heist

Action · 2015

A father is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino. When things go awry they're forced to hijack a city bus.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Ron Howard

Written by

Richard Price · Alexander Ignon

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

Tom Mullen

Rene Russo

Rene Russo

Katherine Mullen

Gary Sinise

Gary Sinise

Det. Jimmy Shaker

Delroy Lindo

Delroy Lindo

Agent Lonnie Hawkins

Lili Taylor

Lili Taylor

Maris

Brawley Nolte

Brawley Nolte

Sean Mullen

Liev Schreiber

Liev Schreiber

Clark Barnes

Court is in session

Put Ransom on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.