Desperate Measures is an action thriller film that stars Michael Keaton, Andy García, Marcia Gay Harden and Brian Cox.The film was directed by Barbet Schroeder. It was filmed in both the San Francisco Bay Area and downtown Pittsburgh.Garcia stars as Frank Conner, a widowed San Francisco police officer whose young son Matt is suffering from leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant, Matt will die, but Frank isn't a donor. In fact, the only potential match is prison inmate Peter McCabe (Keaton), a psychotic but charming serial killer. At first, McCabe refused to participate despite Conner's pleas, but eventually, the convict relents and agrees to the procedure. It is all a ruse, however, as McCabe has discovered a clever way to escape the confines of the operating room where Matt's oncologist, Dr. Hawkins (Harden) is scheduled to perform the transplant. Faced with the dual nightmare of his son's deteriorating condition and a mass murderer on the loose in a major metropolitan hospital, the frantic Conner finds himself bending and even breaking the law to bring McCabe down and save Matt's life.Too bad that the film is only masquerading as a thoughtful movie that's really about something. At heart, it's an action thriller--a chase picture. It has all the usual implausible or impossible stunts, the highway carnage, the jumps off bridges, the slides down laundry chutes, and other feats that make it more of a video game than a drama.This unfortunately makes it an average picture that would thrill action fans.

michael keaton proved how good he is when he has the role of a bad guy, a criminal, a tough guy, when he starred in Pacific Heights. he's a very strong and believable character. i think that in this movie, he did better acting than andy garcia (but he was good too). i wish that michael keaton would do more bad-guy roles as well as something entirely different: a drama or comedy perhaps, so that he could expand the roles that he is good at doing. well, about this movie:i do not mind one iota that the F word is used so prolifically in Casino that it is like you hear it 100 times. it is the perfect word for the characters to use in THAT movie. but i dislike swearing used in dialogue just to get the audience charged up. it's like when violence or sex scenes do not seem to have a place: they are just used to keep us interested. but this movie, Desperate Measures, is just filled with the F word, and you notice it like a broken thumb because it doesn't belong in the sentences. in fact, the dialogue as a whole would have been more powerful without that word. therefore, although this movie is somewhat tense, i've seen tenser thrillers/crime movies that have no swearing whatsoever in them. is this sort of screenplay writing simply another indication of the decline of the once wealthy, respected, and powerful status of the USA? because, that is what it sounds like. the story in this movie is good. *** SPOILER: the plot is similar to John Q with denzel washington. *** END OF SPOILER.the actors are good. there are holes in the story, but the excitement gets you going so that you do not notice them until your hour after watching it, pondering over the plot. it is not that bad and it is not that good. i would not recommend your spending the amount of a theater ticket on this movie, but to watch it on cable, free of charge (with no other interesting movie to take up your time), is not ALL THAT BAD. it's a fair experience.

This fast paced, exciting and gripping movie was written by David Klass and directed by Barbet Schroeder. It relates the story of Frank Connor, (Andy Garcia) a police detective who's son is desperately ill and needs a bone marrow transplant. However, when the perfect donor is located, it turns out he's in a maximum security prison and belongs to one, Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton). McCabe is a serious minded, multiple murderer who's I.Q. is in the genius range. Connor's is desperate enough to try anything to save his son and that includes releasing the prisoner from his maximum enclosure, long enough to extract the necessary ingredient while under the most stringent security measures available. However, despite the nearly impregnable restrains, McCabe is incredibly versatile, crafty and learns the weaknesses of his jailers, enough to exploit their mistakes and take advantage of their ignorance. From the moment the prisoner is removed from his incarceration, the audience is given an explosive, action-oriented and dramatic film which makes for a great escape. Keaton is magnificent and his role will surely make this effort a Classic. ****

Here's an underrated suspense movie that's good. It's "good" in that fact it delivers what it promises: suspense. I'm sure there are a number of holes in this far-fetched tale but it's fun to watch nevertheless.Michael Keaton is almost mesmerizing in his role as the sick killer. There is some decent action in here, too, but suspense is the name of this game. Once you've started in, it's very difficult to put down. Andy Garcia and Marcia Gay Hayden turn in solid performances as well.It was nice to see a tough-but-loving father (Garcia) go to any lengths to save his kid. Speaking of the kid (Joseph Cross), they show this very little soft-spoken boy that is trying be saved and all of sudden he says the word "a-hole." What is the purpose of inserting that? Only in the world of film.