Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

Cat.no: PLFEC 37281

Cert: 18

Running time: 117 minutes

Sides: 3 (1 CAV/2 CLV)

Year: 1997

Pressing: 1998

Chapters: 22 (8/7/7)

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen: 1.85:1

Price: £29.99

Extras : None

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Director:

Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Backdraft, Cocoon, Far & Away, The Paper, Parenthood, Splash)

Producers:

Scott Rudin, Brian Grazer and B. Kipling Hagopian

Screenplay:

Richard Price and Alexander Ignon

Music:

James Horner (Titanic, Apollo 13)

Cast:

Tom Mullen: Mel Gibson (Air America, Bird On A Wire, The Bounty, Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory, Gallipoli, Hamlet (1991), Lethal Weapon 1-4, Mad Max 1-3, The Man Without A Face, Maverick)
Kate Mullen: Rene Russo (Freejack, Get Shorty, Lethal Weapon 3 & 4, Outbreak, Tin Cup)
Sean Mullen: Brawley Nolte
Jimmy Shaker: Gary Sinise (Albino Alligator, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Of Mice And Men, The Quick And The Dead, Truman)
Agent Lonnie Hawkins: Delroy Lindo (Broken Arrow, Clockers, Feeling Minnesota, The Hard Way, Malcolm X)
Maris Connor: Lili Taylor (The Addiction, Four Rooms, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs Parker And The Vicious Circle, Mystic Pizza, Short Cuts)
Clark Barnes: Liev Schreiber (Scream 2, Walking And Talking)
Cubby Barnes: Donnie Wahlberg
Wallace: Paul Guilfoyle (Air Force One, Apache, Extreme Measures)
Jackie Brown: Dan Hedaya (Alien Ressurection, Benny And Joon, Blood Simple, Boiling Point, Commando, Daylight, Fair Game, Tightrope, The Usual Suspects)

Ransom acts upon every parent's worst nightmare as business tycoon Tom Mullen is forced to see a picture of his kidnapped son helplessly bound and gagged. Those first in the line of suspicion are colleagues of man known as Jackie Brown, who went to jail insteaf of Tom in a pay-off which kept Tom's airline business alive. To get his boy back, Mullen and his wife agree to deliver a $2 million ransom. Things don't go to plan and Tom, against all advice, takes matters into his own hands.

He goes on national television, $2 million in hand, to announce that the money is there for the taking, not by the kidnappers but by anyone who wants to turn them in as a form of reward, whether they bring them to justice alive or dead. The only thing that matters is that his son is kept alive. However, this sort of gamble could result in him losing his marriage and his son's life if the plan backfires and one wonders why he's doing this when money's no object and paying someone off has worked before now.

At the centre of the film are two superb dramatic actors who have appeared in plenty of films apiece: Mel Gibson as the father who will stop at nothing to get his son and Gary Sinise as the crooked cop-turned-chief kidnapper who also pulls out all the stops he can to make sure things will go his way. Sinise also starred in director Ron Howard's true-life space story Apollo 13.

Delroy Lindo is the chief FBI agent leading the team tracking down the bad guys. He also puts in a good performance and has had memorable roles in the actioner Broken Arrow and the comedy The Hard Way. The remainder of the actors on the wrong side of the law, including Lili Taylor, who starred opposite Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza, Liev Schreiber from Scream 2 and Donnie Wahlberg, brother of Boogie Nights star Mark, all of whom do an adequate job but nothing more, while Dan Hedaya has a cameo as the non-Tarantino-related character Jackie Brown.

Finally, the only fish out of water is Rene Russo, one of many model-turned-actresses, but also one who cannot act her way out of a paper bag and has a tendancy to spoil anything she appears in from 1991's Freejack, the comedy Get Shorty and the action films In The Line Of Fire and Lethal Weapon 3 & 4.

The picture quality of the disc is excellent and the widescreen framing of 1.85:1 represents the original theatrical ratio.

The sound mainly consists of James Horner's musical score as background music or to heighten dramatic scenes. There are some scenes involving gunfire but this is not an action film and all sound throughout the film comes across clearly.

The disc could have done with more chapters, particular one for the end credits. There's only 21 spread throughout the film itself, but 22 on the actual pressing. The first chapter is the opening Touchstone logo, so for each chapter during the film (labelled 1-21), you'll need to add one for that particular chapter.