Desperate Measures (1998)

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son. There's only one catch: the potential donor is convicted ... See full summary »

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writer:

David Klass

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Brian Cox

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Peter McCabe
Andy Garcia	...	Frank Conner
Brian Cox	...	Captain Jeremiah Cassidy
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Dr. Samantha Hawkins
Erik King	...	Nate Oliver
Efrain Figueroa	...	Vargas
Joseph Cross	...	Matthew Conner
Janel Moloney	...	Sarah Davis
Richard Riehle	...	Ed Fayne
Tracey Walter	...	Medical Inmate
Peter Weireter	...	SWAT Team Commander
Keith Diamond	...	Derrick Wilson
Steve Park	...	Dr. Gosha
Steven Schub	...	SWAT in Airduct
Neal Matarazzo	...	Cell Guard

Storyline

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son. There's only one catch: the potential donor is convicted multiple murderer Peter McCabe who sees a trip to the hospital as the perfect opportunity to get what he wants most: freedom. With McCabe's escape, the entire hospital becomes a battleground and Connor must pursue and, ironically, protect the deadly fugitive who is his son's only hope for survival.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | police | escape | prison escape | psycho thriller | 

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Taglines:

His son needs a DNA donor to live. The clock is ticking. The only match is a vicious killer. Now all Frank Conner has to do is catch him.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apegnosmenes kiniseis

Filming Locations:

Closed Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£349,271 (UK) (27 February 1998)

Gross:

$13,668,777 (USA) (10 April 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandalay Entertainment, Eaglepoint

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is set in San Francisco, but actually filmed in Pittsburgh. They used Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh because it is a brick road like many of the roads in San Francisco. Also the front of the hospital is really One Mellon Bank Center located on Grant Street, the same building in the helicopter scene of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Sudden Death.

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie, McCabe is pouring liquid cyclopropane on the floor, from a metal container. As a basic fact of thermodynamics, this action will not only freeze the container valve (thus disabling it), but also the container itself would become so cold that he won't even be able to hold it.

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Quotes

Peter McCabe: I can't imagine a God that would care.

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Connections

Remade as Jung (2000)

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Soundtracks

"PROUD MARY"
Written by John Fogerty (as John C. Fogerty)
Performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

User Reviews

Looking for bone marrow. Maybe a brain as well.

Barbet Schroeder doesn't fare well in this directorial attempt. "Desperate Measures" is a film that has been seen in other forms before, better made. The screen play by David Klass doesn't make sense at all.

With that out of the way, this hospital thriller is fun to watch because of the intensity of both lead men performances. Michael Keaton, the bad guy in this film, shows an evil side not found in any of his performances before. He is equally matched by Andy Garcia, not one of our favorite actors. Mr. Garcia tends to shout and get incomprehensible at the most dramatic moments.

The last sequences of the film pack a lot of action, and once we have settled back to accept the silliness of the whole thing, we go for the ride. The chase and bridge scenes are staged well; they'll keep the viewer glued to the screen.

Watch Michael Keaton as we haven't seen him before.