---
title: "Ransom: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ransom/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/ransom"
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ransom (1996): what the critics said

Critics' score 67 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics find Ransom an effective thriller, and the praise lands first on Mel Gibson, whose performance as the desperate father is singled out by nearly every review that reaches a verdict. The early stretches draw the warmest notice: the build-up of tension, the tightly controlled suspense and the way the twists are parcelled out. Gary Sinise’s villain is also admired, with more than one critic crediting him for wry touches in a role that might have been flat.

The reservations gather around the second half. Several reviews find the script mechanistic, the focus diffuse and the final reel a let-down, and the Radio Times thinks Ron Howard’s direction unusually starchy for him. The spread is moderate rather than wide: most land somewhere between a grudging and a solid pass, with the Los Angeles Times the one outright dissenter, arguing that the shift into vigilante drama derails a film that had been working well. Two reviews offer no readable verdict.

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 1996. 

McCarthy calls the film a highly entertaining, well-constructed thriller. He particularly praises Mel Gibson’s performance and the film’s tightly controlled suspense.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/ransom-2-1200447829/)

## Total Film — Total Film

Rating 4/5. 7 February 1997. 

The review calls it a solid, entertaining thriller that lacks the tension its premise promises. It praises Mel Gibson’s edgy performance and the film’s strongest set-pieces, while faulting the diffuse focus and underdeveloped villain.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ransom-review/)

## Empire — Adam Smith

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic finds the thriller ruthlessly effective despite a mechanistic script and a disappointing final reel. They praise the sustained tension and strong performances from Mel Gibson and Gary Sinise.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ransom-review/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 3/4. 8 November 1996. 

Ebert finds the film an effective, tense thriller. He singles out Mel Gibson’s performance as a strength.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ransom-1996)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 1996. 

The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also provides no basis for identifying what the review praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/08/movies/vigilante-dad-vs-kidnappers.html)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page text does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It describes the ransom demand and Tom Mullen’s decision to involve the FBI.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ransom-1)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 3/5. 

Jones finds the remake entertaining but weakened by Ron Howard’s unusually starchy direction. He singles out Gary Sinise for adding wry twists to the villainous role.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5zvl65/ransom/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 1996. 

Turan finds the thriller effective for much of its length but says its turn toward vigilante drama derails it. He praises the early tension-building and carefully parcelled twists, while faulting the implausible decision that makes Gibson’s distraught father a vigilante.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-08-ca-62352-story.html)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ransom.md