Desperate Measures . Tucson Weekly . 02-16-98

Desperate Measures

DIRECTED BY: Barbet Schroeder

REVIEWED: 02-16-98

Things I learned from watching Desperate Measures: (1) If the sociopathic prisoner who was supposed to donate life-saving bone marrow to your son with leukemia escapes from the operating room and is running around killing people, don't try to prevent cops from shooting him. That's just selfish, and makes you look like a jerk. (2) If you've gotta have shoot-outs, hospitals are a nifty place for them because immediately after somebody gets popped, doctors can swarm around and perform on-the-spot emergency surgery. (3) If you're a tough, smart female surgeon played by Marcia Gay Harden, and you konk the killer unconscious with a large metal object, make no attempt to restrain him. Instead, just run off. That way the ridiculous plot can continue. (4) Even if hero Andy Garcia gets real intense and wild-eyed, villain Michael Keaton becomes 100 times more animated than he was in Batman, child actor Joseph Cross overcomes his precocious courage-in-the-face-of-death lines with an excellent performance, and Barbet Schroeder directs with his usual stylish competence, that still doesn't mean the movie's going to be any good.

--Woodruff

Full Length Reviews
Desperate Measures
Desperate Measures
Desperate Measures
Desperate Measures

Other Films by Barbet Schroeder
Kiss of Death

Film Vault Suggested Links
Ransom
L.A. Confidential
Touch of Evil

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