Halfway thru the flick, it takes a decided turn. Not for the worst, but nor for the better. It just heads in a direction which IS a change from the usual kidnap thriller, but just doesn't play that well.

So the movie just did not click for me. Howard, fresh from his Apollo 13 triumph, makes a potboiler. Gibson, fresh from his Oscar-winning triumph of Braveheart, has his hand in it also. Both talents are mightily wasted.

The suspension of disbelief just never engaged for me. The actors were always just actors saying their lines. I was not swept by the story of these people desperately trying to get their son back. It was just unspooling in front of me.

They spent big bucks giving the movie its proper Hollywood big budget look, I'll say that much for it. But Howard's use of jerky slo-mo and fading to black & white comes across like a film student who wants to kitchen sink his production. In order to project suspense at the proper times, the music gets VERY LOUD. Which in a THX-equipped theater is SOME volume level, let me tell you.

I'll say this much, Gibson is called upon to truly stretch himself as an actor and does so completely. There's a lock on receiving an Academy Award Best Actor nomination. He has to be utterly distraught, maniacally angry or even quietly seathing; and he nails every note with the proper emotive timbre.

Russo plays the beautiful dutiful wife and does well. Sinese is a cop with more on his mind than just constantly arching his eyebrows.

Ransom leaves a lot to be desired. A major disappointment.

Movie's suitability for:

• Action Jackson: 40%
• Joe Fratboy (date movie): 40%
• Cinephile (pretentious movie lover): 10%
• thriller lovers: 40%
• Mel Gibson fans: 80%
• all around movie-goer: 40%