“If you could cure cancer by killing one person, wouldn’t you have to do that?” says Gene Hackman far too late into the running time of Michael Apted’s Extreme Measures. He bellows his lines with an air of entitlement and a matter-of-factness that convinces you – that at least to his own mind – everything he’s doing is morally ‘right’ (the guy would have made a killer debate team leader). Unfortunately, the meat of Tony Gilroy’s script is all buried in the tail end of it. The rest is your typical, paint-by-numbers thriller with Hugh Grant playing Guy, a doctor who has a patient with unusual symptoms (spasms, nakedness) die on his watch. Unable to let it go, Guy finds the body has disappeared when he goes to investigate the death further. From there on you get the usual assortment of creepy characters that all seem to be possibly complicit in the crime, a few chase scenes, some character assassination and a surprisingly well-organized group of all-knowing homeless men to disperse clues when called upon. Until the moral questions posed in the final reel, the reason to see this film (or at least the reason I searched it out) was to see Hugh Grant do something other than a romantic comedy. He’s capable here… but always seems to be more comfortable delivering the comedic lines. So much like the movie, it's no surprise.
2 comments:
Heard about this like ten years ago. Don't really know why you sought it out. Hugh Grant in a thriller can not be good.
Searched it out to see Hugh Grant play something other than a romantic comedy, for the inclusion of Gene Hackman in the cast and because of the films ability to get my sister Shawn, Kelly and myself to all agree to watch it (a notoriously difficult thing to do).
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