Philosophy Of Films Ransom 1996 - Essay Example

PHILOSOPHY OF FILMS; RANSOM 1996 [Insert Affiliation] The 1996 film, Ransom, categorized as a crime thriller stands out as one of the best movies in exploring philosophical concepts. Written by Alexander Ignon and Richard Price, and directed by the renowned Golden Globe Award winner director Ron Howard, the film features a kidnap case where Sean, Tom Mullen and Kate’s son, is kidnapped when his parents attend a science fair. Maris Connor, in the company of hacker Roberts Miles, immoral Cubby Barnes and Clark Barnes, takes Sean to an apartment and immediately writes an email to Tom Mullen and Kate, asking them to pay whopping $2, 000, 000 if they would like to have their son back. As a father, and ostensibly the head of the family, Tom contacts the FBI, offers them a candid explication of the kidnap case and the FBI immediately commences investigation from Tom’s New York penthouse. When in a convenience store buying Frankenberry cereal, Cubby is arrested by Jimmy Shaker, a detective from the NYPD (Ransom, 1996). As Jimmy threatens to shoot him, Cubby leads Jimmy into the building where Sean and the kidnappers reside. Jimmy sees Sean. Jimmy berates Cubby for being a so obvious criminal. He learns that the mastermind behind Sean’s abduction is Shaker. The FBI instructs Tom to agree to the kidnappers’ demand and deliver the ransom. Using an electronic device to distort his voice, Shaker makes a call to Tom giving him instructions on how the ransom should be delivered. Tom, apparently, abides by their guidelines and meets Cubby whom Shaker had previously indicated that would inform Tom where to pick Sean after getting the cash from Tom. Tom violates the instructions and demands cash. He refuses to disclose Sean’s location and Tom too declines handing him the money. The two argue inexplicably, and an FBI helicopter proximately arrives killing Cubby before he even reveals Sean’s location (Ransom, 1996). Angered by the occurrence, Tom realizes that there is no guarantee that his son will come back alive now that his only lead, Cubby, has been man-slaughtered. He takes the bold decision to offer the ransom as a bounty during a TV show. He sends a stern message that the kidnappers will only save themselves if they return Sean. He diligently promises to drop the bonus as well as all charges if Sean is safely brought to him. Lonnie Hawkins, an FBI Special Agent, and Kate plead with Tom to drop the plan, but Tom insists that it is the best plan, and he will pursue it as it was the only way of ever meeting his son. The witty Shaker entices Kate to a conference. He assaults her and warns her that if she does not pay the ransom, Sean’s death will be inevitable. Kates contusions anger Tom. He adds the bounty amount to $4,000,000 in an effort to ensure that the kidnappers are hunted down (Ransom, 1996). Tom and Kate’s agitation is furthered when Shaker calls Tom and ask them to pay the ransom, and in the process fires a shot which is heard on the phone leaving the parents believing that Sean is dead. The fiasco of the erstwhile plan prompts Shaker to initiate a new plan where he is to kill Miles and Clark, pretend that he is rescuing Sean and win the bounty to enjoy it with his fiancée, Maris. The plan succeeds. However, in the process, Shaker fatally shoots and kills Maris, who was striving to ditch the plan. Shaker, being gravely wounded, proximately returns to the apartment and sits next to Sean (Ransom, 1996). The SWAT team enters; it finds them seated together and ends up believing that Shaker saved Sean. Kate and Tom are brought to the rescue scene where they enthusiastically thank Shaker, unaware that he was the real kidnapper. Shaker receives his reward at an enclosed Mullen penthouse to avoid publicity. However, as Tom was writing the check, Sean identifies Shaker as the kidnapper and starts boiling in trepidation. The rewarding session is interrupted, and the two start fighting only for police to arrive and shoot Shaker as the movie ends. Entrancingly, the directors present the main features of the film through exploring the two-way processes that take place behind the scenes in filmmaking. The presentation draws on the Ransom Centers extensive affluence thus authenticating the history of the gesticulation picture industry to exemplify the vastly collaborative nature of the film -making process. Consequently, directors, special effects designers, Screenwriters, Producers, actors, graphic arts directors, inventors, cinematographers, costume artists, and editors all may make their exceptional contributions to this movie; hence each decision made by one individual influence and shapes the work of another (Gordon, 1987). Therefore, the film “Ransom” is a vigorous collaborative process that is exhibited through how is prearranged into two sections. The first scene explores the responsibilities of the director, art director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, editor, production designer, actor, special effects designer, and music composer. In the second segment, the unique calligraphies of iconic scenes from about 10 gesticulation pictures will be exhibited alongside production materials for those scene-stills, call sheets, memos, and digital clips of the videoed scene to give invitees a clear impress to individuals hence making them comprehend a few seconds of presentation history. In view of that, it is worth for us to elucidate on the philosophical issue of this film. The prevailing Philosophy of films in the movie “Ransom” is the philosophy of gesticulation pictures. The film has harnessed gesticulation pictures to craft an inimitable cinematic production that qualify to denoted as fine art as it cultivate a reflection of the emotional world of imagination, dream and fantasy(Gordon, 1987).. Subsequently, the movie has used ordinary means of real art such as unique calligraphies of iconic scenes and cinematic narrative from about 10 gesticulation pictures to draw public attention, public taste and impacts of wonder surprises. It is through this. That we can elucidate that the nature of the shot in Ransom movie has provided us with an illusion of reality that portrays a transparent illustration of the physical world. Ransom movie has incorporated on cameras unique clarity of detail hence assisting the film to depict the whole scene as mirror of physical facts instead of generating an art that will serve to profit man’s reminiscence of events. The second domineering philosophy in the film is one that touch on cognitive psychology as it help us to elucidate on the individual emotions as the scene unfolds. The peak emotional scene is depicted where Shaker called Kate and Tom and asked them to pay the ransom n while at the same time he lets them overhear Sean crying for his parents. This, deceptively, mentally and psychologically disturbs the parents forcing them to reconsider their plans for saving their innocent son. The background cry of the Sean will activate the audience assumption of the relevant character hence resulting the entertaining of their cognitive as audience go through some emotional changes. Therefore, it was through shot composition and soundtrack that were able to determine the emotional scenes that will uniformly affect the audience all-inclusive (Gordon, 1987). Moreover, from a philosophical perspective, particularly deontological perspective, Shaker’s act of kidnapping Sean and shooting his associates in the kidnap plan, is sadistic and/or punitive torture that is unjustifiable (Gregory, 2013). While utilitarianisms may justify the act of killing his colleagues as it leads to a greater good in the form of Sean being saved, the act of kidnapping the boy was in per se unwarrantable, a factor that made it moral for Hawkins and Tom to kill Shaker (Gregory, 2013). Apparently, the society can exist harmoniously and be better in the absence of such people, a factor that further bolsters the assertion that Shaker’s murder was justifiable as he sought pleasure and happiness by inflicting unplumbed pain on Sean’s parents. References Gordon, R. M. (1987). The structure of emotions: Investigations in cognitive philosophy. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press. Gregory, F. (2013). On the Ethics of Torture // Reviews // Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews // University of Notre Dame. Retrieved from https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/48412-on-the-ethics-of-torture/ Ransom (1996) - Full Movie. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRzNMIzyE4 Read More