Desperate Measures (1998)

Synopsis: Widowed police officer Frank Conner (Andy Garcia) has a cancer-stricken nine-year-old son, Matthew (Joseph Cross), whose only hope for survival is a bone-marrow transplant, but the only matching... Widowed police officer Frank Conner (Andy Garcia) has a cancer-stricken nine-year-old son, Matthew (Joseph Cross), whose only hope for survival is a bone-marrow transplant, but the only matching donor is Pete McCabe (Michael Keaton), a vicious, psychotic killer being held in a maximum-security prison. McCabe at first denies Conner's request for help but then agrees, devising an elaborate plan to use the medical procedure as an opportunity to escape. McCabe breaks loose before the transfusion can occur, and Conner is forced to become both his tracker and his ally, wanting to bring the serial killer back into custody but determined--for the sake of his son--to keep McCabe alive. Keaton is chilling as the vicious, brilliant convict, while Garcia turns in a heartfelt performance as a devoted father caught in the middle of a bad situation getting worse. With DESPERATE MEASURES, director Barbet Schroeder (REVERSAL OF FORTUNE), renowned for his knack of combining urgent family drama with white-knuckle suspense, adds another crowd-pleasing, thought-provoking film to his list of successes. [More]

Starring: Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Marcia Gay Harden, Brian Cox

Starring: Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Marcia Gay Harden, Brian Cox, Joseph Cross, Erik King, Efrain Figueroa, Janel Maloney, Richard Riehle, Tracey Walter, Peter Weireter, Keith Diamond, Steve Park, Steven Schub, Neal Matarazzo, Dennis Cockrum, Charles Noland, Randy Thompson, Michael Shamus Wiles, Darren Pearce, Eric Tignini, Billy Kane, Christine Ashe, Donna M. Duffy, Troy Robinson, Robert Baier, David Flick, Joe Drago, Josh Kemble, Scott Colomby, Howard Meehan, Tim Kelleher, Cliff Fleming, Dirk Vahle, Craig Hosking, Jack Gill, Scott Waugh, Danny Rogers, John Meier, Norm Howell, John Rottger, Donna Keegan

Director: Barbet Schroeder

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: David Klass
Composer: Trevor Jones
Producer: Gary Foster, Susan Hoffman, Lee Rich, Barbet Schroeder

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