Daily Staff Writer

Ransom – a thriller directed by Ron Howard.

Is such a thing possible? Can little Opie Taylor really direct a gut-wrenching, Seven-like ride through the dark. One strong enough to make his audience wince in dread from on-screen suspense?

To Howard’s credit, he did make Apollo 13, one of the best films of 1995. Howard took a historical event where everyone knew the outcome and mined every possible ounce of suspense out of its well-known story.

But this time, he’s tackling a much darker story, one not so uplifting or inspiring. And he is only partially successful.

Mel Gibson plays airline owner Tom Mullen, a Vietnam combat pilot who built his vast fortune from the ground up. His son is abducted from a science fair in a New York City park while he and his wife (Rene Russo) aren’t looking. Almost immediately, the kidnappers contact them via e-mail and make a demand for $2 million cash.

The FBI agents assigned to the case advise Mullen to play ball and pay up. He is put through an elaborate scheme for the money drop, but it goes awry. On his way to a second drop, Mullen realizes that the kidnappers do not intend to let his son go, so he turns the tables on them. He goes on a local TV news broadcast and offers the $2 million as a reward for the kidnappers, dead or alive.

In an odd move for film of this genre, the identities of the kidnappers are not kept secret. They are a net-savvy group, using an array of high-tech devices to foil the FBI.

But that’s about the only thing interesting about them. Otherwise, they are a garden-variety group of low-life losers, with one minor surprise tossed in. And the surprise isn’t that one baddie is played by Donnie Wahlberg.

But even that surprise addition to the gang adds little depth to the shallow characters. Mainly, we see that they are evil because they live in a dank apartment and listen to industrial thrash. Wow. How very original.

And the reason they give Mullen for taking his son, which involves a long rant about the science-fiction classic The Time Machine, explains almost nothing about their motivation other than the fact that they don’t like rich people.

Howard’s direction is slick and technically competent, but is as subtle as a club to the skull. And Ransom needs subtlety to really work. The story barrels along at breakneck speed, and character details essential to an intimate thriller such as this are left in the dust in favor of more plot.

Worst of all, every move Howard makes is telegraphed well in advance. While elaborately plotted, not one plot twist is a surprise, killing the film’s tension level. It’s as if he is being kind to the audience, and not scaring it too much.

However, what is lost in direction and characterization is made up for in the stars’ performances. Gibson and Russo are excellent, dueling over the tactics needed to get their son back and showing impressive emotional range.

But the film’s best performance is from Delroy Lindo, as the FBI agent in charge. He gives the film its emotional center and is its voice of reason, balancing Gibson’s reckless approach and Russo’s calm and measured methods.

Ransom is rated R for language and violence. It is definitely not for children, who will be very disturbed by the story. While it certainly isn’t great, it does make for a diverting bit of entertainment.