Three Fugitives

Watching Three Fugitives is like traveling back in time to a bygone era, when there was no Internet, only four TV channels and John Major was prime minister. But hey, it wasn't all bad... We got films like this, where the focus is purely on the relationship between a grumpy, fresh out of jail bank thief portrayed by Nick Nolte, a mute six year old girl and her well-meaning but accident prone father, played by Martin Short.

Caught up in a heist-gone-wrong with a case of mistaken identity thrown into the bargain, the trio (as the title suggests) go on the lam together. Ever cop in the district is looking for them, Short is a walking disaster area, the kid wanders off at every given opportunity and Nolte just wants to ditch the other two and go straight. Easier said then done, when Short lands them in non-stop trouble, and Nolte begins to form a connection with the little girl...

It's not a laugh-a-minute split-your-sides experience, but what it IS is a perfect fusion of pathos, understated action and amusing character moments. It's easy to predict the hate-love arc of the Nolte/Short friendship, and some of the punchline are visible from miles off. But frankly, I didn't care.

All the cast play their roles so well, they transform what could have a humdrum script into something quite special. Of course, it also helps to have one of the cutest screen children around as their co-star. Makes their ongoing struggle more believable when we sees what's at stake, ya see? One to watch every few years from now on, I think. I'll never get tired of it, that's for sure. 8/10

After spending five years in prison for 14 separate bank robberies "Lucas" (Nick Nolte) has finally been granted parole and is set free. Unfortunately, when he goes to a bank to deposit his prison check he finds himself on the receiving end of a bank robbery by what turns out to be an extremely bumbling novice by the name of "Ned Perry" (Martin Short). To make matters worse, when the police surround the bank Ned picks Lucas-of all people--to be his hostage. This selection causes the police to think that both Ned and Lucas are acting as a team and as a result the two of them are forced to work together to somehow extricate themselves from this situation. To further complicate matters, Ned's young daughter "Meg" (Sarah Rowland Doroff) has some serious issues related to trauma which has caused her to withdraw from everyone around her-until she meets Lucas. As a result, instead of two fugitives from the law there are now three-and each of them have their own priorities which don't necessarily relate to one another. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film turned out better than I thought it would due mainly to the humorous twists and turns throughout. That said, while it's certainly not the greatest comedy ever made, it's still a cute little film which should appeal to most viewers interested in something of this type. Slightly above average.

This is not as bad or as unfunny a movie as some IMDb posters make out. The central situation of Lucas (Nick Nolte), a tough, professional heist-meister, being taken hostage by Perry (Martin Short), a bungling first-time bank robber, is pleasingly ridiculous. In particular, Perry's antics in the early bank robbery scenes are laugh-out-loud funny; as is Lucas's later violent entry into the bar where Perry is being held prisoner. The section towards the end, when Perry is disguised as a woman is also reasonably amusing. The scenes between Lucas and Perry's daughter (Sarah Rowland Doroff), are quite touching, when they could easily have been been sickly sentimental. (It helps that the little girl is supposed to have a psychological problem, so she hardly speaks.)

On the downside, there are undoubtedly soggy patches in the middle of the film, including the scene where James Earl Jones and Alan Ruck, as the two policemen leading the chase for Perry and Lucas, find it hilariously funny that Lucas was treated for a gunshot wound by a crazy vet who thought he was a dog. Another defect is the whiny music, which is repetitive and irritating.

All in all, this may not be a film to spend much money on, but is worth watching if it turns up on TV.

This is as 80's as it gets. One of my childhood movies that I (obviously) grew up with, and it's always been there. It's like one of those things your mom tells you when you grow up, you carry it with you constantly. This one is up there with "Tango & Cash", "Adventures In Babysitting", "Back To The Future", "Willow", "Roxanne", "The Princess Bride", and all the other great flicks from the late 80's.

In this remake of a French movie from 1986, Nick Nolte is released from prison, goes to a bank which Martin Short is robbing. At least he tries to rob it, everything goes down the drain and he takes Nolte hostage, and of course the cops think Nolte is the robber.

As I said, this is one of movies I grew up with and you always love your childhood movies, even though they might suck. And this movie really does suck. It's not nearly as good as the French predecessor, but I love it anyway. I can't help it. Sure, it's silly. It's laughable. It's way too sentimental. It's even pathetic at times.

This is a light 80's style comedy with heavy doses of schmaltz. The plot revolves around Lucas (Nick Nolte) who's been released from jail after 5 years for armed bank robbery. On his first day of release, he gets taken hostage by Perry (Martin Short), who tries to rob a bank in order to continue to care for his ailing daughter Meg. We've seen it many times before, Perry is completely inept, knowing only that he has to care for his daughter, Lucas is the tough ex-con with the heart of gold, oh you can almost picture the buddy-buddy hilarity to come.

Unfortunately, this movie completely under-utilises one of the great American comedic actors in Martin Short. These scenes that revolve around him just drag, and you end up longing for Nolte returning to the screen. The most poignant scenes revolve around the relationship formed between Lucas and Meg. Both of these two are fantastic in these scenes, and it's that which keeps you drawn to the film longing to see how it plays out.

The Three Fugitives is a fun little movie that won't bore you, is worth watching if you see it on TV. I wouldn't bother going out of you way to view it though.

All in all 6 out of 10