Extreme Measures
| Extreme Measures | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Apted |
| Produced by | Elizabeth Hurley |
| Screenplay by | Tony Gilroy |
| Based on | Extreme Measures by Michael Palmer |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Edited by | Rick Shaine |
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Production
company |
Simian Films
Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Distributed by |
Columbia Pictures (US) Rank (UK) |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 million |
| Box office | $17,380,126 |
Extreme Measures is a 1996 American crime thriller film based on Michael Palmer's 1991 novel of the same name, dealing with the ethics of medical sacrifices.
Dr. Guy Luthan (Hugh Grant) is a New York emergency room doctor who one night comes across a strange patient: a homeless man who has a wristband from a hospital he's not familiar with, mentioning a drug he's never heard of, and with strange symptoms, including a wildly fluctuating heart rate. When the man dies, Guy attempts to follow up and find out more about the patient - only to find that the body and all records have disappeared, and he's told by his superiors to drop the case.
As he continues trying to find out what happened, Guy's personal and professional life get suddenly sidetracked. His home is ransacked and cocaine is planted near his bedside. The police arrest him and he is convicted and in the process he loses his job, the ability to ever practice medicine anywhere in the world and virtually all of his friends. In desperation, he manages to get the help of some homeless men who lead him to their underground home. His ER patient who died also had lived there. Through them he's led to an organization, led by neurosurgeon Dr. Lawrence Myrick (Gene Hackman), that performs spinal experiments on the homeless people, all of whom have died thus far, in an attempt to find a cure for paralysis.
Dr. Myrick attempts to sway Guy to join his team telling him that these people are heroes and losing one to save millions is worth the sacrifice. Guy admits that while there is some truth in what Myrick says, he states they have not chosen to be heroes, which makes Myrick a murderer. Dr. Myrick is shot and accidentally killed by rogue FBI Agent Frank Hare (David Morse). Later, Mrs. Myrick hands the discs and documentation regarding the research to Guy telling him "my husband was trying to do a good thing, but in the wrong way". He opens the package, views the materials and proceeds towards the neurology building where he is now working.
The film had a mixed reception from critics. It currently holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. Ebert mentioned in his review that the film is "pitched at a higher level than most thrillers; the dialogue is literate and intelligent, and Grant is more of an everyman than an action hero." Grant's performance received particular praise for this, along with An Awfully Big Adventure, being one of his against type performances in his post-Four Weddings and a Funeral career in 1990s. Kenneth Turan who disliked the film said of Grant's performance: "Though he doesn't have enough weight to stabilize the film when the plotting turns silly, overall he does a capable job in an unlikely role."
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