Three Fugitives (1989)

A reformed bank robber is taken hostage by a desperate man during a bank hold up, but is forced to go on the run with his captor when they're both mistakenly thought to be in cahoots.

Director:

Francis Veber

Writer:

Francis Veber

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Martin Short, Sarah Rowland Doroff

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Lucas
Martin Short	...	Ned Perry
Sarah Rowland Doroff	...	Meg Perry
James Earl Jones	...	Dugan
Alan Ruck	...	Tener
Kenneth McMillan	...	Horvath
David Arnott	...	Bank Teller
Bruce McGill	...	Charlie
Lee Garlington	...	Woman Cop
Sy Richardson	...	Tucker
Rocky Giordani	...	Bowles
Rick Hall	...	Dog Handler
Bill Cross	...	Guard at Prison
Stanley Brock	...	Release Sergeant
John Procaccino	...	Highway Patrolman

Storyline

On his first day after being released from jail for 14 armed bank robberies, Lucas finds himself caught up in someone else's robbery. Perry has decided to hold up the local bank to raise money so that he can keep his daughter, Meg, and get her the treatment she needs. Dugan, a detective, assumes Lucas helped plan the robbery, and hence Lucas, Perry and Meg become three fugitives.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | bank robbery | hostage | release from prison | police | 

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Taglines:

They rob banks. She steals hearts.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Bankentrio

Filming Locations:

Former Northern Pacific Railroad Northwest Headquarters, Tacoma, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$40,590,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Short starred in two mid-late 1980s comedy movies with the word "Three" prefixed in the title: ¡Three Amigos! (1986) and Three Fugitives (1989).

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Goofs

Toward the end, at a customer's house, Ned is struggling to carry Meg and walk upstairs because he said that he hadn't slept or eaten much. But when he and Lucas go to the kitchen, Ned is walking fine, as if nothing was wrong with him.

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Quotes

Ned Perry: Do little girls like caviar?

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by 11 secs to remove two uses of 'fuck' in order for the film to receive a PG certificate. All later releases were uncut and the certificate raised to 15.

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Connections

References Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

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Soundtracks

Visiting the Zoo
Written by John Easdale
Performed by Dramarama
Courtesy of Questionmark Records

User Reviews

No need to run away from this one

This is not as bad or as unfunny a movie as some IMDb posters make out. The central situation of Lucas (Nick Nolte), a tough, professional heist-meister, being taken hostage by Perry (Martin Short), a bungling first-time bank robber, is pleasingly ridiculous. In particular, Perry's antics in the early bank robbery scenes are laugh-out-loud funny; as is Lucas's later violent entry into the bar where Perry is being held prisoner. The section towards the end, when Perry is disguised as a woman is also reasonably amusing. The scenes between Lucas and Perry's daughter (Sarah Rowland Doroff), are quite touching, when they could easily have been been sickly sentimental. (It helps that the little girl is supposed to have a psychological problem, so she hardly speaks.)

On the downside, there are undoubtedly soggy patches in the middle of the film, including the scene where James Earl Jones and Alan Ruck, as the two policemen leading the chase for Perry and Lucas, find it hilariously funny that Lucas was treated for a gunshot wound by a crazy vet who thought he was a dog. Another defect is the whiny music, which is repetitive and irritating.

All in all, this may not be a film to spend much money on, but is worth watching if it turns up on TV.