Production note The episode notes that Ransom grossed about $309.5 million on a $70 million budget.
Production note Bill says Roger Ebert gave the film three stars and called it a smarter-than-usual kidnapping thriller.
Production note Production was delayed because Mel Gibson needed an emergency appendectomy.
Production note The child actor is Brody Nolte, Nick Nolte’s son.
Production note Ron Howard originally wanted Alec Baldwin for the Sinise role and then Ray Liotta, both of whom reportedly passed.
Production note Bill notes that early email looked novel enough in the movie to signal wealth.
Production note Bill says the movie is surprisingly hard to find on major streaming services and he had to watch it through TNT/Spectrum on demand.
The Edge Used as a near-contemporary example of a virtuous wealthy hero in a survival thriller.
Succession Cited as the modern pop-culture mode for portraying extreme wealth as satire and dysfunction.
Wall Street Referenced as an 80s-era wealth/ambition movie with a charismatic antihero.
Scarface Mentioned alongside Wall Street as an era where getting rich was glamorized on screen.
Conspiracy Theory Cited as another Gibson movie about suspicious, bunker-minded paranoia.
The Net Used to illustrate late-90s technology anxiety and paranoia movies.
Enemy of the State Another reference point for paranoid tech thrillers of the era.
Lethal Weapon 3 Referenced as the earlier Gibson-Russo collaboration and a sign of their chemistry.
Tin Cup Referenced as one of Russo’s most rewatchable films.
Get Shorty Used both as a Russo title and as an influential movie for Van.
Major League Referenced as an especially rewatchable Russo movie.
Apollo 13 Mentioned both as a Tom Hanks film and a key Gary Sinise supporting role.
Friday Night Lights Cited as a show that arrived before streaming made it easy to discover.
The Wire Mentioned in a streaming/torrent context as another show the hosts had to seek out.
United 93 Used as an example of a deeply disturbing movie the hosts have nonetheless rewatched.
