L'enjeu

Barbet Schroeder doesn't fare well in this directorial attempt. "Desperate Measures" is a film that has been seen in other forms before, better made. The screen play by David Klass doesn't make sense at all.

With that out of the way, this hospital thriller is fun to watch because of the intensity of both lead men performances. Michael Keaton, the bad guy in this film, shows an evil side not found in any of his performances before. He is equally matched by Andy Garcia, not one of our favorite actors. Mr. Garcia tends to shout and get incomprehensible at the most dramatic moments.

The last sequences of the film pack a lot of action, and once we have settled back to accept the silliness of the whole thing, we go for the ride. The chase and bridge scenes are staged well; they'll keep the viewer glued to the screen.

Watch Michael Keaton as we haven't seen him before.

Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton star in the classic policeman vs bad guy story, but with a twist. Garcia is Frank Conner, a cop with a son named Matt who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. Keaton is Pete McCabe, a hardened prisoner who seems to be the only person in the world who matches little Matt's bone marrow type. So eventually, Pete is talked into giving the marrow transplant, but in reality has a plan for escape, leaving Matt and his father, Frank, with nobody, Frank has no other choice but to find Pete and bring him back alive. This is where the cat and mouse plot begins, after nearly an hour of setting it up.

Desperate Measures had the potential to be so bad. I never would have imagined myself enjoying it this much. Thanks to a rainy day and a few hours to kill, I decided to watch this movie and it exceeded my expectations (which were not very high).

I still would not say this is a great movie. In fact, it is pretty average but Michael Keaton gives an enjoyable performance as a hardened prisoner. Normally, I would expect Garcia to be the bad guy and Keaton to be the cop, but Keaton honestly works out better as the bad guy.

The worst part of the movie has to be the kid, Matt, played by Joseph Cross. Nothing he says or does is what a young child his age would actually be thinking or saying. I am not even really disappointed so much with that, but his delivery was terrible. I know he is just a kid, but there are much better child actors who could have portrayed this much better. All in all, worth about a 7/10.

Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia are perfectly matched in this generally absorbing action thriller; you can sense right away that they had great chemistry working together, and they manage to create two characters more three-dimensional than the ones typically found in the genre. The film does have some plot holes (okay, Garcia can't kill Keaton. But why can't he shoot him in the leg or something?), and the last 20 minutes are pretty overblown, but the concept is thought-provoking and the filmmakers deserve credit for avoiding a cliched moralistic conclusion; indeed, the final scene of the film is very amusing. (**1/2)

Well-crafted but overly contrived thriller about a man driven to desperate means to try and save his dying son. García is convincing as a San Francisco cop who's forced to choose between doing his job and being a good father when he discovers that his ill son can be saved with a bone marrow transplant. The only compatible donor: imprisoned convict and multiple murderer Keaton (in a cunning performance). The story is intriguing, and there are plenty of good performances, but the script just becomes more and more far-fetched as it goes along. Watchable thanks to the talented cast, and a witty cat-and-mouse game between the two leads. **

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.