text: Ransom is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Richard Price and Alexander Ignon. The film stars Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Brawley Nolte, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg and Evan Handler. Gibson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. The film was the 5th highest-grossing film of 1996 in the United States. The original story came from a 1954 episode of The United States Steel Hour titled "Fearful Decision". In 1956, it was adapted by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum into the feature film, Ransom!, starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and Leslie Nielsen.
  Plot
  While multi-billionaire Tom Mullen and his wife Kate attend a science fair, their son Sean is kidnapped, having left their sight unexpectedly. Sean is taken to an apartment by Maris Conner, a caterer working for the Mullens; brothers Clark and Cubby Barnes; and tech expert Miles Roberts. A NYPD Detective, Jimmy Shaker, Maris' boyfriend, is later revealed to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping. The kidnappers send Tom and Kate an e-mail with a video of Sean demanding $2 million. Tom calls the FBI, despite the kidnappers instructions on not to contact the authorities, with the threat of killing Sean, who operate from his New York City penthouse under Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins. In private, Tom voices his belief that a union machinist, Jackie Brown, who is in prison following one of Tom's business scandals, may be behind it. They visit Brown in prison, but he denies any involvement before striking Tom.