Desperate Measures (1998)

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writer (WGA):

David Klass (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son...

Plot Keywords:

Box Office Flop | Villain Played By Lead Actor | Battlefield | Prison | Death

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #34792) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Fresno, California, USA

Company:

Eaglepoint

Trivia:

In addition to some of the scenes filmed in Pittsburgh, an elaborate set was constructed in a vacant hangar at what is now known as the San Bernardino International Airport, what used to be Norton Air Force base. Both the jail/prison was three stories high and the hospital, built to the same level, were both physically connected by the concourse seen in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Quotes:

Captain Jeremiah Cassidy: How many people are going to have to die here tonight so that kid of yours can live?

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)

Soundtrack:

PROUD MARY

High Marks For Suspense

Here's an underrated suspense movie that's good. It's "good" in that fact it delivers what it promises: suspense. I'm sure there are a number of holes in this far-fetched tale but it's fun to watch nevertheless.

Michael Keaton is almost mesmerizing in his role as the sick killer. There is some decent action in here, too, but suspense is the name of this game. Once you've started in, it's very difficult to put down. Andy Garcia and Marcia Gay Hayden turn in solid performances as well.

It was nice to see a tough-but-loving father (Garcia) go to any lengths to save his kid. Speaking of the kid (Joseph Cross), they show this very little soft-spoken boy that is trying be saved and all of sudden he says the word "a-hole." What is the purpose of inserting that? Only in the world of film.