" I know a guy married the same dame 3 times then turned around and married her aunt "
— William Demarest, The Lady Eve

MRQE Top Critic

Betty Blue

There can be beauty in tragedy, particularly when the key ingredient is the same in both —Marty Mapes (review...)

Betty arrives like a bolt from the Blue

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Ron Howard does seem to be a good director. None of his movies have been very bad (except perhaps Backdraft). But sometimes he is a tad sterile. Everything is neat and tidy; there are no rough edges. That need not be a criticism, but in Ransom the subject matter is far from neat and tidy.

Mel Gibson’s character is very interesting. It is rare to see a main character be a slimy bastard who participates in shady business deals and gets away with it, as Tom Mullen (Gibson’s character) does. But the movie treats his shady dealings more as a part of his character than as an event. As such, they give Gibson’s character an interesting slant. Mullen is headstrong and always in the driver’s seat; he knows what he wants and he knows what’s right (in his mind). So when his character makes the decision to turn the tables on the kidnappers, it is not just a plot device to make for an interesting movie, it is a legitimate part of Gibson’s character.