L'enjeu

DESPERATE MEASURES is one of those "high concept" thrillers that the 1990s were so fond of: an entire movie written around a single sentence premise guaranteed to garner interest. This time around, it's simple: a cop's dying child needs a bone marrow transplant and the only matching donor is a jailed killer.

What follows is a movie that starts out on a fairly tense level before gradually become more and more preposterous as it goes on. It soon transpires that the killer, played with relish by Michael Keaton, is intent on using the opportunity to escape, and of course to take down anyone that stands in his way. Said cop Andy Garcia must do everything in his power to stop him.

Much of the film involves a tense stand-off inside a hospital and it's during this section that it starts to get silly. Garcia does things like assisting a criminal to escape and driving his stolen motorbike through glass doors yet at no time do any of the detectives or police force attempt to apprehend him, preferring to let him get on with it.

The plot gradually breaks down and in the end becomes one long chase sequence, filled with all of the over-the-top stunts you'd expect from a '90s-era action movie. The ending is both schmaltzy and expected. While Keaton is good value for money, I always find the staid Garcia a bit of a bore and he's no exception here. Still, if you take it for what it is - and you have a soft spot for laughably OTT direction and nostalgia for the late '90s - then DESPERATE MEASURES does contain a few nuggets of merit along the way.

Barbet Schroeder doesn't fare well in this directorial attempt. "Desperate Measures" is a film that has been seen in other forms before, better made. The screen play by David Klass doesn't make sense at all.

With that out of the way, this hospital thriller is fun to watch because of the intensity of both lead men performances. Michael Keaton, the bad guy in this film, shows an evil side not found in any of his performances before. He is equally matched by Andy Garcia, not one of our favorite actors. Mr. Garcia tends to shout and get incomprehensible at the most dramatic moments.

The last sequences of the film pack a lot of action, and once we have settled back to accept the silliness of the whole thing, we go for the ride. The chase and bridge scenes are staged well; they'll keep the viewer glued to the screen.

Watch Michael Keaton as we haven't seen him before.

Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia are perfectly matched in this generally absorbing action thriller; you can sense right away that they had great chemistry working together, and they manage to create two characters more three-dimensional than the ones typically found in the genre. The film does have some plot holes (okay, Garcia can't kill Keaton. But why can't he shoot him in the leg or something?), and the last 20 minutes are pretty overblown, but the concept is thought-provoking and the filmmakers deserve credit for avoiding a cliched moralistic conclusion; indeed, the final scene of the film is very amusing. (**1/2)

Although following the formula for films in its class, including a saved dying child, a brave female doctor, a psychopath, and a dedicated detective trying to save his son, even the mandatory car chase sequence, I still found "Desperate Measure" an exciting and enjoyable thriller. The locations and presumably some sets are effective as is the dialogue and general situation set ups. It has great stunts, some by Keaton and Garcia themselves. The movie has not been well received by jaded critics who too easily criticize the formula elements, in my opinion. It has the high production values often found in many such films.

Well-crafted but overly contrived thriller about a man driven to desperate means to try and save his dying son. García is convincing as a San Francisco cop who's forced to choose between doing his job and being a good father when he discovers that his ill son can be saved with a bone marrow transplant. The only compatible donor: imprisoned convict and multiple murderer Keaton (in a cunning performance). The story is intriguing, and there are plenty of good performances, but the script just becomes more and more far-fetched as it goes along. Watchable thanks to the talented cast, and a witty cat-and-mouse game between the two leads. **