Visible crew/equipment: In the early scene, when Mel Gibson is talking to his son, a boom mic can be seen at the top of the screen. (Boom mics drop in several times throughout the film.)
Ransom (1996)
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Mel Gibson, Liev Schreiber, Gary Sinise, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte
Factual error: When Mel Gibson is leaving NYC by car they come out of the Lincoln Tunnel onto route 4, that is impossible. The only way out of the Lincoln Tunnel is onto route 3. Then when they are driving through New Jersey on route 4, Mel Gibson says "There is the exit for 208." While you can get to 208 from route 4, they were driving on route 4 east, heading back towards NYC, not route 4 west which is the way onto route 208 they showed in the movie.
Continuity mistake: When Mel Gibson pulls up at the road crossing, there is a red car in front of him. But in the next shot when all the kids walk across the road, it is gone. Then in the next shot, it returns.
Trivia: Early in the film, Tom Mullen mentions the name "John Smith." Mel Gibson provided the voice of John Smith in "Pocahontas."
Trivia: Evan Handler later played Larry Fine in the TV movie "The Three Stooges," which was produced by Mel Gibson.
Trivia: During filming, Mel Gibson had to have his appendix removed - that's one reason why he looks so pained throughout the movie.
Detective Jimmy Shaker: Look me in the eye and tell me.
Kate Mullen: ...he's so shy. Next month he's doing the underwear billboard in Times Square.
Tom Mullen: So how do I get my son back?
Detective Jimmy Shaker: Are you going to pay me?
Tom Mullen: Of course I am.
Detective Jimmy Shaker: Then it shouldn't be a problem.
Question: After the son has been rescued, there are reports on the TV that investigators do not believe that all suspects have been caught and they do not believe the leader has been caught. Since they believe this, wouldn't they fingerprint the place they were keeping the kid in? How could Gary Sinise explain why his fingerprints are all over the place? He only had a few minutes from the time he radioed in to the time the cops showed up - he couldn't say he left all those prints in that little time.
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Answer: While the police would take fingerprints, it would take a long time to get all the fingerprints to the lab and tested for a match. They probably wouldn't have known whose prints they had at the time of the news broadcast. And even if they knew they had Gary Sinise's prints, they wouldn't automatically suspect him.