Desperate Measures

"Desperate times call for. . ."

1998 1h 40m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🥫

19%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 337🥫19%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 18,825

ActionDramaThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son. There's only one catch the potential donor is convicted multiple murderer Peter McCabe who sees a trip to the hospital as the perfect opportunity to get what he wants most: freedom. With McCabe's escape, the entire hospital becomes a battleground and Connor must pursue and, ironically, protect the deadly fugitive who is his son's only hope for survival.

“Desperate times call for. . .”

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Cast

Michael Keaton
Peter McCabe
Andy Garcia
Frank Conner
Brian Cox
Captain Jeremiah Cassidy
Marcia Gay Harden
Dr. Samantha Hawkins
Erik King
Nate Oliver
Efrain Figueroa
Vargas
Joseph Cross
Matthew Conner
Janel Moloney
Sarah Davis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Writers: David Klass
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Barbet Schroeder, shot by Luciano Tovoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia and Brian Cox carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Barbet Schroeder directs. Luciano Tovoli behind the camera. Trevor Jones scores. Lee Percy cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
5Directed by Barbet Schroeder, shot by Luciano Tovoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia and Brian Cox carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Desperate times call for. . .".
10IMDB entry: tt0118966 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "chase", "donation", "paranoia", "terminal illness".