Desperate Measures

Rating:
Summary: Lack of plot, great suspense
Review: It's easy to see why DESPERATE MEASURES got bad reviews. The plot might have holes large enough to sail a barge through, and yes, it is quite implausable, but it's hard to completely diss a movie with performances and direction as good as this.

Michael Keaton is eerily menacing as Peter McCabe in this film. He's smart, dangerous, and unpredictable, just like the character requires. Keaton easily does his best work yet as a serious actor. Andy Garcia proves once again that THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD was not a fluke, and that he really is capable of turning in one fine performance after another. While a couple of the supporting performances aren't up to the level they should be, it doesn't pull down the film.

The direction by Barbet Schroeder is brilliant. THe noir style that the film was shot in works extremely well for the type of film this is. His odd camera angles and dark, brooding shots work perfectly with the dark story. The look of the smoke and fire is perfectly shot, and he should commend his cinematographer.

The suspense, however, is what keeps this film kicking. Even though the lack plot tends to drag down a little bit of the film, it's still a guessing game most of the time, and Schroeder knows how to play this up. It's a shame that critics like Leonard Maltin couldn't look past the implausability at the truly excellent moments of the film. After all, they give truly implausable movies like CON AIR good reviews, and this film is FAR more realistic.

DESPERATE MEASURES is a greatly underrated film that deserves a look. It's decently smart and a hell of a lot more entertaining than a lot of the drivel that Hollywood produces nowadays. *cough, Pearl Harbor, cough*

Rating:
Summary: Lack of plot, great suspense
Review: It's easy to see why DESPERATE MEASURES got bad reviews. The plot might have holes large enough to sail a barge through, and yes, it is quite implausable, but it's hard to completely diss a movie with performances and direction as good as this.

Michael Keaton is eerily menacing as Peter McCabe in this film. He's smart, dangerous, and unpredictable, just like the character requires. Keaton easily does his best work yet as a serious actor. Andy Garcia proves once again that THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD was not a fluke, and that he really is capable of turning in one fine performance after another. While a couple of the supporting performances aren't up to the level they should be, it doesn't pull down the film.

The direction by Barbet Schroeder is brilliant. THe noir style that the film was shot in works extremely well for the type of film this is. His odd camera angles and dark, brooding shots work perfectly with the dark story. The look of the smoke and fire is perfectly shot, and he should commend his cinematographer.

The suspense, however, is what keeps this film kicking. Even though the lack plot tends to drag down a little bit of the film, it's still a guessing game most of the time, and Schroeder knows how to play this up. It's a shame that critics like Leonard Maltin couldn't look past the implausability at the truly excellent moments of the film. After all, they give truly implausable movies like CON AIR good reviews, and this film is FAR more realistic.

DESPERATE MEASURES is a greatly underrated film that deserves a look. It's decently smart and a hell of a lot more entertaining than a lot of the drivel that Hollywood produces nowadays. *cough, Pearl Harbor, cough*

Rating:
Summary: Keaton is a Killer
Review: Michael Keaton is incredible in this role. His intelligent psychotic killer behavior will awe you. By far one of his best performances. Andy Garcia delivers a great performance as a father who will stop at nothing to save his sons life. When Garcia as a police officer finds that inmate Keaton has the right blood type to give his son bone marrow, the plot thickens. When Keaton escapes and time is critical for Garcia's son, things get very dicey. Fans of "Extreme Measures" should certainly enjoy this movie. The price on this one goes as low as five dollars and ninety nine cents at some sites. Four stars on the replayability meter.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD,MINDLESS SUSPENSE/ACTION ENTERTAINMENT WITH GOOD ACTING
Review: OKAY,OKAY,SO IT'S NOT A CLASSIC. WELL.....IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE. THE STORY CONCERNS A COP WHO'S SON NEEDS A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. THE ONLY PERSON WHO'S ELIGIBLE IS CONVICT PETER MCCABE. MCCABE IS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND HE ESCAPES. THE SCENE WHERE MCCABE ESCAPES IS VERY TENSEFUL AND SO ARE MANY OTHER SCENES. DEFINITELY WORTH BUYING.

Rating:
Summary: Some plot is missing, but it has its exciting suspense
Review: Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton) is in jail for several murders. He is one of the most dreaded criminals in his prison. However, a cop, Frank Conner (Andy Garcia), finds out that Peter is the only one who can save his son by giving him a bone marrow transplant. Peter agrees to do so after getting several of his privileges, such as smoking, back. However, things take an interesting twist after Peter somehow escapes while in the hospital. Frank can't allow anybody to kill Peter because that would kill Frank's son, but he also doesn't want Peter to do what he is known for, being a murderer.

I can't believe that "Desperate Measures" isn't getting a lot better ratings than it's getting. I thought it was a great movie. I like for movies to have a plot, and I'll admit that this movie is choppy in that department, but it does feature one of Michael Keaton's best job as an actor and it has great suspense. That's why I really liked "Desperate Measures." If you can put up with a movie that doesn't have one of the best plots in the world, but one that has good acting and great suspense, I recommend getting "Desperate Measures."

Rating:
Summary: Just sad
Review: Plot, writing, and dialog are rediculous. Both actors could do a much better job, but given the sillyness of the whole thing, did passibly well. Really silly b-movie horror ending. Yuck.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: See this movie. It is all worth the two minute startling ending!

Rating:
Summary: This movie was a realistic edge of your seat thriller
Review: the movie was about a cop who son's only chance of living is to get a emediate bone marrow transplant exept the closest person with the write type of marrow is a convict

Rating:
Summary: See "Desperate Motive" instead of "Desperate Measures"
Review: The plot sounds like a nail biting, edge of your seat thriller that can't miss: a cop needs the organ of a criminal to save his son, the killer gets loose and takes over the hospital psychiatric ward. Many possibilities. But it was one of the only movies I was SO bored in that I actully left the theatre halfway through to use the restroom, which I could have surely waited till the movie was over. Pity director Barbet Schroeder for this waste of time and the viewers' money. Somehow, Schroeder fails to bring any suspense to his films, his previous ones were dissapointments too ("Before And After", "Single White Female"). But this is by far his worst one yet. Michael Keaton does not do the least bit of a good job playing a psycho, and Garcia is absolutely boring. A car chase scene towards the end does not bring hardly any tension, and it puzzles me how this ever made it to theatres, instead of just being a direct-to-video release. Here is some good advice: If you are looking for a suspense/thriller, pass this one up. There is a movie that never hit theatres called "Desperate Motive", which is far more suspenseful than this garbage that actully did make it to theatres. "Desperate Motive" had all the elements of a big screen release, but it just got released directly to video. It is strange how a direct-to-video release with almost the exact same title can be SO much better than a wide release film like this garbage. "Desperate Motive" is a suspenseful story about an escaped mental patient who tries to destroy his cousins' family, and take over his cousins' identity. The good star cast includes Mel Harris ("Thirtysomething"), David Keith ("An Officer and a Gentleman"), William Katt ("House"), Brian Bonsall ("Mikey"), and Marg Helgenberger ("China Beach"). A good script and fine acting make this movie a hidden treasure which you probably have never heard of. Until now. Forget about "Desperate Measures", which does not do its' job in being a suspense thriller. Go rent (or buy) "Desperate Motive" instead, which does the job it is supposed to.

Rating:
Summary: Just one thing
Review: There was only one song missing from this sountrack but the rest are great and brought back memories of a great film..