| Member of the Internet Link Exchange | Free Home Pages at GeoCities |
|
|
Extreme Measures Stars: Hugh Grant, Gene Hackman, Sarah Jessica Parker Director: Michael Apted BBFC Certificate: 15 Opened: January 31st 1997 |
|
Extreme Measures is just what Hugh Grant's career needed. After the dismal
Nine Months, and the media circus that surrounded him and girlfriend Liz
Hurley following Grant's 'divine' inspiration, a low profile, well-written thinking-man's
thriller like this is just the trick for getting a prematurely de-railed career back on the
tracks.
But Grant's not the only one whose made a mistake or two in the past, for the director of this movie is none other than Michael Apted, who bears the shame for the paralysingly bad Nell. However, he has acquitted himself admirably with this outing, a refreshing mix of moral message and action thriller. Grant, a young, high-flying English doctor working in New York's Gramercy hospital accidentally stumbles on a secret research project headed up by respected physician Gene Hackman (with the help of Grant's friend Sarah Jessica Parker) which has been using homeless patient's to test a course of treatment that, if successful, will enable paraplegics to walk again. Therein lies the moral dilemma, as Hackman himself says, "If you could cure cancer by killing one man, wouldn't you have to do it?". Admittedly, Hackman has knocked off rather more than one man, but the principle holds true. Naturally Hackman isn't pleased that Grant's got wind of his plans and plants a brick of medicinal Cocaine in the Englishman's apartment, which, when discovered, puts paid to his medical career. When Grant doesn't give up however, Hackman sets his henchmen onto him (one of whom is played by the now ubiquitous 'bad-guy' David Morse) and we're treated to a thrilling subway chase complete with a tastefully directed train wheels/trapped henchman combination. After being shot, Grant wakes to find himself paralysed in Hackman's lab. But wait, it was just a trick, for Hackman was merely doing it to show Grant the other side of the coin. I won't spoil the ending for you, but suffice to say that it reinforces the steadily growing body of opinion that Gene Hackman is one of, if not the, best actors in Hollywood today.The film is never overplayed, there are no feats of super-human endeavour, no ludicrous explosions and no market-stall wrecking car-chases, yet Apted still manages to create more tension in five minutes than the desperately dull Ransom could manage in two hours. Why? Good acting. Grant, it seems, has finally banished the Four Weddings and a Funeral induced type-casting that has beset him up until now and turns in a wonderfully life-like performance. Jessica Parker, though her role is small, is also believable, and Hackman, whose role, in the hands of a lesser actor, could so easily have become that of every eccentric idealist from Dr Jekkyl to Emmet Brown, is superb as the killer with a conscience who is driven to the titular 'extreme measures' by love for his wheelchair bound daughter. Michael Apted, all is forgiven, in Extreme Measures, you have given us a truly entertaining film which will keep its audience thinking long after it leaves the cinema. Reviewed by: Tom Green
|
|
[Sign Our Guestbook] [View Our Guestbook] [Reviews] [Links] [Themes] [Scripts] [Features] Copyright © 1997 Tom Green & Tom Whitaker This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page |