History Film / Ransom

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ransom_poster_5217.jpg]]

* RealityEnsues: The televised ransom prompts 4,000 phone calls from people offering phony leads, and each lead that looks plausible- no matter how wrong- results in another FBI agent wasting their time pursuing it rather than spending time working on the actual case.

* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:Shaker]]
* DirtyCop: NYPD officer Jimmy Shaker is the mastermind behind the kidnapping and planned to kill Sean all along.

* NeverendingTerror: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by [[BigBad Jimmy Shaker]] in the final act, who swears that if Mullen tries anything while they're going to pick up the money from the bank, he will just vanish and come back in the future to kidnap [[WouldHurtAChild and kill]] Sean, no matter what Mullen does to try to protect the kid, [[EvilIsPetty strictly to get revenge.]] He could not have grasped on to the VillainBall [[PapaWolf any tighter]] if he'd had it nailed to his hand.

** When Mullen tries to deliver the ransom the first time, he is told that the cutout man will give him the information he needs to find Sean. As Tom is handing over the money and asks for his son's location, Cubby is completely confused by Tom's request.

** [[spoiler: Shaker does this to his own accomplices as part of a new plan to get the ransom.]]

** When Mullen tries to deliver the ransom the first time, he is told that the cutout man will give him the information he needs to find Sean. After Tom hands over the money and asks for the information, Cubby is completely confused by Tom's request.

* BloodFromTheMouth: This happens to Mullen after visits Jackie Brown in prison after accusing him of being his son's kidnapper.

* DiesWideOpen:[[spoiler:Shaker]]

* BloodFromTheMouth

* DiesWideOpen

--->'''Mullen:''' You kill him, you kill yourself you motherfucker!

* NeverendingTerror: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by [[BigBad Jimmy Shaker]] in the final act, who swears he will come back in the future to kidnap [[WouldHurtAChild and kill]] Sean, no matter what Mullen does to try to protect the kid, [[EvilIsPetty strictly to get revenge for Mullen pissing him off]]. He could not have grasped on to the VillainBall [[PapaWolf any tighter]] if he'd had it nailed to his hand.

** Even more so because the first reaction of the gang is to cut their loses and kill their hostage. He's only saved because the mastermind is so determined to get the money.
* ParanoiaFuel: Mullen injects a healthy dose of this into the kidnappers when he turns the ransom into a reward, basically saying he'll give it all to whomever in the gang rats out everyone else and gives him his son back. Considering the fact that that person could easily turn State's Evidence as well, they wouldn't be prosecuted and would have millions. The looks on all their faces after Mullen does this says it all. ''They can't trust each other anymore, and Mullen just started playing them off against each other.''
** Shaker does this with Mullen, warning him that he'll get to his son again and after what he did he'll come for blood rather than money.

* VillainBall: [[spoiler: Shaker could have gotten away with his kidnapping if he'd just kept cool and collected the reward money with as little conversation as possible. But he had to question Mullen on his methods, and not only does his talking causes Sean to recognize his voice, which also clues in Mullen and blows his reward, but his rage gets the better of him upon being called "human garbage". And when he swears to come back for Sean just to spite Mullen, this seals his fate.]]

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: What Tom turns the ransom into is intended as a shock and surprise move to everyone, but since the gambit was featured heavily in the trailer, the audience knows that we get to this point an hour in (this ''was'' the climactic act in the original, and the kidnappers simply panicked and let the kid go free). That said, the trailer does NOT spoil an earlier plot twist: the fact that [[spoiler:Shaker is the ringleader. The trailer simply shows him as a police officer.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: [[None of the other kidnappers, except for Cubby, seem to show any reservations over Jimmy wanting to kill Sean even after they get the ransom money.]]

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:Jimmy Shaker seems to care for Maris Conner, his girlfriend and fellow kidnapper. When he kills the two expendable remaining kidnappers to make himself out as a hero cop, she shoots him in turn, clearly expecting him to dispose of her as well. He seems a bit shocked at this before he kills her as well with apparent remorse. He's also showing obvious regret at the end when he's telling his travel agent he'll only need one ticket.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Shaker was always going to kill Mullen's son, but he gets upset over Mullen trying to stop him from it by refusing to his terms.

* TheMorlocks: Shaker actually invokes this name, considering himself a predator that feeds on people better than him.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer shows Shaker brandishing his gun and badge, but conceals the identity of the kidnapper, to let the audience assume he's playing a detective investigating the case.

* DoWrongRight: Shaker comes across the kidnappers' hideout, apparently by mistake. He sneaks in, discovers the whole operation, surprises the only thug present and holds him at gunpoint. It looks like the kid is saved! [[BaitAndSwitch Shaker then... scolds the thug for not protecting the hideout properly]]. He's a DirtyCop, in fact the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and he merely tells his conspirator not to be so stupid in the future.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Shaker raves at Mullen that he took a bullet to save his son... [[spoiler: a bullet he got from his own conspirators, who he was killing to make himself look good and who furthermore were trying to quit the plan and get away.]]

* ToThePain: The "Will today be Jimmy Shaker Day?" speech is Shaker threatening to come back one day and kidnap and kill Sean for good for all the inconveniencing Tom put him through. The spirit of this trope is the fact Shaker points out that Cullen will keep fearing the day he comes back, jump at shadows and go overboard with security... which will make the eventual kill all the more sweet.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"What were you gonna do with the videos? The kid's in a cocoon, for Christ's sake."]]
** When Mullen tries to deliver the ransom the first time, he is told that the cutout man will give him the information he needs to find Sean. After Tom hands over the money and asks for the information, the cutout man is completely confused. The Wham Line in particular is as simple as the man saying "What?"

** [[spoiler: Shaker does this to his own acomplices as part of a new plan to get the ransom.]]

* DeadpanSnarker / TheAlcoholic: Clark Barnes. "You know, you're not going to get to go to your brother's funeral, either, man."
* DestinationDefenestration: Mullen flings both himself and Shaker through a glass window.

* EveryHelicopterIsAHuey: The cops arrive in one, prompting [[RuleOfCool a quadbike chase]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:Jimmy Shaker seems to care for Maris, his girlfriend and fellow kidnapper. When he kills the two expendable remaining kidnappers to make himself out as a hero cop, she shoots him in turn, clearly expecting him to dispose of her as well. He seems a bit shocked at this before he kills her as well with apparent remorse. He's also showing obvious regret at the end when he's telling his travel agent he'll only need one ticket.]]

* BringMyBrownPants: Sean, when freed, recognizes the voice of his kidnapper and wets himself in fear. Mullen sees the puddle he's making and gets clued in, then makes a valiant try at bluffing his way through his interaction with Shaker — of course, bluff checks are notoriously spotty when it comes to scenes like these.

* DeadpanSnarker / TheAlcoholic: The kidnapper played by Evan Handler. "You know, you're not going to get to go to your brother's funeral, either, man."

* DoWrongRight: Shaker comes across the kidnappers' hideout, apparently by mistake. He sneaks in, discovers the whole operation, surprises the only thug present and holds him at gunpoint. It looks like the kid is saved! Shaker then... scolds the thug for not protecting the hideout properly. He's a DirtyCop, in fact the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and he merely tells his conspirator not to be so stupid in the future.

* HateSink: There's no reason to like Shaker at the start of the film, but as events go on he becomes more of a jerk [[spoiler: doing things like shooting his own accomplices, taking insults from Mullen badly and threatening to kidnap the child again to spite Mullen. By the end of the film we're rooting for his death]].

* LeaveNoWitnesses: The intention has been to kill Sean all along, even though he's blindfolded the entire time. Given that he later identifies the BigBad just by his voice, this turns out to be ProperlyParanoid.
* LimaSyndrome: One kidnapper, Cubby (Donnie Wahlberg), seems to want to be friends with the boy. [[spoiler: As he's the AntiVillain, he gets a HeelFaceDoorSlam.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer shows Creator/GarySinise brandishing his gun and badge, but conceals the identity of the kidnapper, to let the audience assume he's playing a detective investigating the case.

* PapaWolf: Deconstructed. Tom will do anything to get his son back. When he realizes that the kidnappers are going to kill Sean anyway even if he gives them the ransom money, he tries to turn the tables on them by turning the ransom into a reward for their capture. Tom maintains his resolve when the mastermind calls him up and Tom threatens to hunt him down if he doesn't get his son back immediately. The kidnapper pretends to shoot Sean and Tom breaks down from his apparent failure. Luckily he still gets Sean back later on, but he played an immensely dangerous gamble that could just as easily have ended this way.

** The kidnap ransom for Sean is only for 2 million, even though Mullen is worth far more, in order to keep things simple. This clues in that the person behind the kidnapping is a professional.

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: What Tom turns the ransom into is intended as a shock and surprise move to everyone, but since the gambit was featured heavily in the trailer, the audience knows that we get to this point an hour in (this ''was'' the climactic act in the original, and the kidnappers simply panicked and let the kid go free). That said, the trailer does NOT spoil an earlier plot twist: the fact that [[spoiler:Gary Sinise's character is involved in the kidnapping. The trailer simply shows him as a police officer.]]

* VillainBall: [[spoiler: Had Shaker kept the conversation to a minimum when asking for the reward money, like not prodding Mullins on why he didn't pay the ransom for example, he might've been able to get the money and walk off into the sunset, no one being the wiser. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't control his obvious seething anger at being called "human garbage," and the fact that his talking causes Sean to recognize his voice as one of the kidnappers, resulting in Mullins putting 2 and 2 together. He also decides to swear he will come back for Sean just for the sake of keeping Mullins jumping at shadows for years to come, which seals his fate.]]

* CassadraTruth: Played with. Mullen points out that Shaker will kill his son even if he gets paid the ransom, but the cops and his wife consider it an option worth trying.

* RealityEnsues: The televised ransom prompts 4,000 phone calls from people offering phoney leads, and each lead that looks plausible- no matter how wrong- results in another FBI agent wasting their time pursuing it rather than spending time working on the actual case.
* RetiredBadass: Tom Mullen fought in over 20 combat missions for air force before retiring. It's also what inspired him to get in airline business.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Mullen isn't a knight in shining armor, but he does point out that he was dealing with someone who was going to kill his son anyway so he couldn't give in to his demands. Shaker doesn't want to hear it.

* KillTheOnesYouLove: [[spoiler:Jimmy Shaker seems to care for Maris, his girlfriend and fellow kidnapper. When he kills the two expendable remaining kidnappers to make himself out as a hero cop, she shoots him in turn, clearly expecting him to dispose of her as well. He seems a bit shocked at this before he kills her as well with apparent remorse. He's also showing obvious regret at the end when he's telling his travel agent he'll only need one ticket.]]

* ParanoiaFuel: Mullen injects a healthy dose of this into the kidnappers when he turns the ransom into a reward, basically saying he'll give it all to whomever in the gang rats out everyone else and gives him his son back. Considering the fact that that person could easily turn State's Evidence as well, they wouldn't be prosecuted and would havemillions. The looks on all their faces after Mullen does this says it all. ''They can't trust each other anymore, and Mullen just started playing them off against each other.''

* ParanoiaFuel: Mullen injects a healthy dose of this into the kidnappers when he turns the ransom into a reward, basically saying he'll give it all to whomever in the gang rats out everyone else and gives him son back. Considering the fact that that person could easily turn State's Evidence as well, they wouldn't be prosecuted and would havemillions. The looks on all their faces after Mullen does this says it all. ''They can't trust each other anymore, and Mullen just started playing them off against each other.''

Our story features a wealthy couple, Tom Mullen (Creator/MelGibson) and his wife Kate (Creator/ReneRusso). Tom is the proud owner of an airline company and easily an ultra high net worth individual by 1996 standards. Shortly after their introduction to the audience, former employee Maris Conner (Lili Taylor) kidnaps their son Sean (Brawley Nolte). The film proceeds to introduce her accomplices, siblings and small-time crooks Clark (Creator/LievSchreiber) and Cubby (Creator/DonnieWahlberg) Barnes, high-tech criminal Miles Roberts (Evan Handler) and mastermind Jimmy Shaker (Creator/GarySinise), a corrupt NYPD detective.