Extreme Measures (1996)

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers (WGA):

Michael Palmer (book)
Tony Gilroy (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Not all surgery is intended to cure. Don't move a muscle.

Plot:

Thriller about Guy Luthan (Hugh Grant), a British doctor working at a hospital in New York who starts...

Plot Keywords:

Slice Of Life | Tense | Emergency Room | Secret Lab | Evil Doctor

Cast

Hugh Grant	...	Dr. Guy Luthan
Gene Hackman	...	Dr. Lawrence Myrick
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Jodie Trammel
David Morse	...	FBI Agent Frank Hare
Bill Nunn	...	Det. Bob Burke
John Toles-Bey	...	Bobby
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Dr. Jeffrey Manko
Debra Monk	...	Dr. Judith Gruszynski
Shaun Austin-Olsen	...	Claude Minkins
André De Shields	...	Teddy Dolson
J.K. Simmons	...	Dr. Mingus
Peter Appel	...	Det. Stone
Diana Zimmer	...	Helen
Nancy Beatty	...	Ruth Myrick
Gerry Becker	...	Dr. Gene Spitelli

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, some nudity and graphic ER activity.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:A (Ontario) | Brazil:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

In the movie, security for the illegal medical experiments is provided by two supposed police officers named Hare and Burke. In reality, William Hare and William Burke were two men in the business of supplying human cadavers to medical schools in 1820s Edinburgh -- until it was learned that the ones they hadn't stolen from graveyards, they had murdered themselves.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Guy is told he severed his spine at C6 and was paralyzed from the neck down. In reality an injury to the C6 vertebrae would result in paralysis from the chest down - meaning he'd still be able to move his arms (although finger function would be impaired).

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Dr. Guy Luthan: Triphase...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The Rosie Show (#4.4)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

ON MY MIND

The Good & Bad Of 'Extreme Measures'

GOOD - A very interesting story start-to-finish is the main attribute of this movie. It simply entertains, which is what you want in a film. It's also well-acted by the two leads: Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman.

It's nice to see Grant in a serious role for a change while Hackman and David Morse are their usual intense selves. Also included in the cast are Sarah Jessica Parker, Paul Guilfoyle (of CSI-Las Vegas fame) and Debra Monk.

BAD - My objections to the films are: 1 - a few unrealistic scenes such as the meek doctor (Grant) beating up a tough FBI agent; 2 - the FBI guy (Morse) portrayed as a cold-blooded killer (boy does Liberal Hollywood hate any law- enforcement group); 3 - they also get a religious cheap shot in by showing the hateful bad guy at home with a picture of Jesus. The film world's bigotry never lets up.

OVERALL - The unique story and the acting talents of Grant and Hackman make this worth seeing.