Les trois fugitifs

A reformed bank robber (Nick Nolte) is taken hostage by a desperate man (Martin Short) during a bank hold up, but is forced to go on the run with his captor when they are both mistakenly thought to be in cahoots.

A confession right up front: I have never cared for Martin Short. I couldn't say why, but his brand of humor just does not appeal to me. And yet, I really enjoyed this film and thought he was pretty sharp in it. Maybe Nick Nolte is the right "straight man" to keep the balance? It appears so.

There are some emotional moments, but nothing overwhelming that turns this fro ma comedy (with slight action) into a tear-jerker. What works great for the comedy-action balance is how quickly we get right into it. We learn about the characters as we go, rather than waiting twenty minutes for things to take off. This script decision was brilliant.

This is as 80's as it gets. One of my childhood movies that I (obviously) grew up with, and it's always been there. It's like one of those things your mom tells you when you grow up, you carry it with you constantly. This one is up there with "Tango & Cash", "Adventures In Babysitting", "Back To The Future", "Willow", "Roxanne", "The Princess Bride", and all the other great flicks from the late 80's.

In this remake of a French movie from 1986, Nick Nolte is released from prison, goes to a bank which Martin Short is robbing. At least he tries to rob it, everything goes down the drain and he takes Nolte hostage, and of course the cops think Nolte is the robber.

As I said, this is one of movies I grew up with and you always love your childhood movies, even though they might suck. And this movie really does suck. It's not nearly as good as the French predecessor, but I love it anyway. I can't help it. Sure, it's silly. It's laughable. It's way too sentimental. It's even pathetic at times.

Watching Three Fugitives is like traveling back in time to a bygone era, when there was no Internet, only four TV channels and John Major was prime minister. But hey, it wasn't all bad... We got films like this, where the focus is purely on the relationship between a grumpy, fresh out of jail bank thief portrayed by Nick Nolte, a mute six year old girl and her well-meaning but accident prone father, played by Martin Short.

Caught up in a heist-gone-wrong with a case of mistaken identity thrown into the bargain, the trio (as the title suggests) go on the lam together. Ever cop in the district is looking for them, Short is a walking disaster area, the kid wanders off at every given opportunity and Nolte just wants to ditch the other two and go straight. Easier said then done, when Short lands them in non-stop trouble, and Nolte begins to form a connection with the little girl...

It's not a laugh-a-minute split-your-sides experience, but what it IS is a perfect fusion of pathos, understated action and amusing character moments. It's easy to predict the hate-love arc of the Nolte/Short friendship, and some of the punchline are visible from miles off. But frankly, I didn't care.

All the cast play their roles so well, they transform what could have a humdrum script into something quite special. Of course, it also helps to have one of the cutest screen children around as their co-star. Makes their ongoing struggle more believable when we sees what's at stake, ya see? One to watch every few years from now on, I think. I'll never get tired of it, that's for sure. 8/10

..."Three Fugitives" is an action comedy about an ex-con (Nick Nolte) who - on his first day out of prison - is taken hostage by a neurotic father (Martin Short). The two are taken - along with Short's daughter (Sarah Rowland Doroff) - on a long journey full of laughs and excitement.

Nick Nolte is probably not the greatest actor for comedies, but he still delivers well. Short is obviously hilarious, as he is most of the time, and Doroff is as good as she could be. James Earl Jones and Alan Ruck also make funny appearances.

The only really annoying part about "Three Fugitives" is the constant use of eighties guitar music in the background. That is probably the worst sounding noise in history.

Funny family movie (despite a few cuss-words), 7/10.

This is a light 80's style comedy with heavy doses of schmaltz. The plot revolves around Lucas (Nick Nolte) who's been released from jail after 5 years for armed bank robbery. On his first day of release, he gets taken hostage by Perry (Martin Short), who tries to rob a bank in order to continue to care for his ailing daughter Meg. We've seen it many times before, Perry is completely inept, knowing only that he has to care for his daughter, Lucas is the tough ex-con with the heart of gold, oh you can almost picture the buddy-buddy hilarity to come.

Unfortunately, this movie completely under-utilises one of the great American comedic actors in Martin Short. These scenes that revolve around him just drag, and you end up longing for Nolte returning to the screen. The most poignant scenes revolve around the relationship formed between Lucas and Meg. Both of these two are fantastic in these scenes, and it's that which keeps you drawn to the film longing to see how it plays out.

The Three Fugitives is a fun little movie that won't bore you, is worth watching if you see it on TV. I wouldn't bother going out of you way to view it though.

All in all 6 out of 10