Extreme Measures


3/4

Starring: Hugh Grant, Gene Hackman, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Morse

Rated R for Violence, Language, Some Nudity and Graphic ER Activity

Hitchcock would have loved this; it has many of his earmarks…the hero who is wrongly accused, an average guy thrown into a conspiracy through sheer bad luck, and so on.  “Extreme Measures” does exactly what it sets out to do: create a suspenseful mystery that has us wondering what will happen next.

Dr. Guy Luthan (Grant) is a brilliant young doctor on his way up the ladder.  He’s just been accepted into an exclusive program at NYU, but for the mean time, he’s an ER doc at a local hospital.  Then one day, a man comes into the ER with puzzling symptoms.  The results of the blood work that Guy runs provide more questions than answers.  The man eventually dies, and Guy is curious about what happened.  Could it be some new kind of virus?  However, it soon becomes clear that someone doesn’t want him snooping around.

It’s not hard to understand why one would be skeptical of the movie since Hugh Grant, a romantic comedy staple, is in the exact opposite genre that he usually works in.  But by playing the role absolutely straight, Grant succeeds.  Actually, Grant is perfectly cast since he looks more like a doctor than an action hero: kind of nerdy, not perfectly photogenic, etc.  Likewise, Sarah Jessica Parker is effective in a straight role as Jodi, a fellow nurse, despite being known for her comic talents.  Gene Hackman is also very good as the beloved Dr. Myrick, playing the character with depth and feeling.

Although primarily a documentary filmmaker (his “Up” series is generally revered as a classic of the genre), Michael Apted has proven himself to be adept at making fictional films in a wide variety of genres from action (“The World is Not Enough”) to thriller (“Extreme Measures”) and character studies (“Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey”).  By focusing only on Guy and presenting the film from his perspective, he eliminates the possibility of going off on tangents and allowing the audience to get ahead of the plot.  There’s never a second where we know what’s coming next (even though, in broadest terms, the movie is pure formula). Nor for that matter, are there unnecessary action sequences to make sure that the ADD-impaired viewers don’t get bored.

One of the interesting things that the script does is prevent compelling ethical questions for the hero (I’m not going to reveal them to avoid spoilers).  Many thrillers like this have moral quagmires for the hero to judge, but here, we can really see both sides of the issue.  Guy is trapped in an unenviable situation numerous times, and each side has its pluses and minuses.

It’s not a classic by any means (Apted’s manipulation gets a little obvious at times, and some of things that happen are a little ludicrous if you stop to think about it).  But just take it for what it is: a solid mystery presented in a highly entertaining, two hour long package.

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