Les trois fugitifs

If you're that "god, I'm a serious movie rater and this better impress me" kind of movie watcher then go find another. But If you are in the mood to laugh and think odd pairs are funny then go for it. It helps to know the history of Martin Short's style of comedy. Nick Nolte's a pretty big guy and Sarah Doroff is really little. So Nolte just got outa prison and is supposed to be this big bad bank robber with a reputation. Martin Short is this nervous jobless dad that robs a bank just as Nick Nolte is there and takes Martin takes 'Nick' as a hostage.

Nick gets SHOT! Martin has a senile old friend that takes care of Rover(Nick). James Earl Jones does a belly-laugh. Sarah overcomes her trama to change gender. Martin Changes Gender! There's a Happy Ending Such a sweet movie- after its over put A Nightmare on Elm Street in for the contrast!

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.

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 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

This is not as bad or as unfunny a movie as some IMDb posters make out. The central situation of Lucas (Nick Nolte), a tough, professional heist-meister, being taken hostage by Perry (Martin Short), a bungling first-time bank robber, is pleasingly ridiculous. In particular, Perry's antics in the early bank robbery scenes are laugh-out-loud funny; as is Lucas's later violent entry into the bar where Perry is being held prisoner. The section towards the end, when Perry is disguised as a woman is also reasonably amusing. The scenes between Lucas and Perry's daughter (Sarah Rowland Doroff), are quite touching, when they could easily have been been sickly sentimental. (It helps that the little girl is supposed to have a psychological problem, so she hardly speaks.)

On the downside, there are undoubtedly soggy patches in the middle of the film, including the scene where James Earl Jones and Alan Ruck, as the two policemen leading the chase for Perry and Lucas, find it hilariously funny that Lucas was treated for a gunshot wound by a crazy vet who thought he was a dog. Another defect is the whiny music, which is repetitive and irritating.

All in all, this may not be a film to spend much money on, but is worth watching if it turns up on TV.