Extreme Measures
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| Extreme Measures | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
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| Directed by | Michael Apted |
| Produced by | Elizabeth Hurley |
| Written by | Tony Gilroy |
| Starring | Hugh Grant Gene Hackman |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Editing by | Rick Shaine |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 27, 1996 |
| Running time | 118 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 Million (USD) |
| IMDb profile | |
- For the DS9 episode see Extreme Measures (DS9 episode).
Extreme Measures is a 1996 thriller film based on Michael Palmer's 1991 novel of the same name, about the ethics of how far we are wanting to go, and how much we are wanting to sacrifice, in order to cure the world's ills.
Tagline: Not all surgery is intended to cure.
Contents |
[edit] Primary cast
- Hugh Grant ... Dr. Guy Luthan
- Gene Hackman ... Dr. Lawrence Myrick
- Sarah Jessica Parker ... Jodie Trammel
- David Morse ... FBI Agent Frank Hare
- Bill Nunn ... Det. Bob Burke
- John Toles-Bey ... Bobby
- Paul Guilfoyle ... Dr. Jeffrey Manko
- Debra Monk ... Dr. Judith Gruszynski
- Shaun Austin-Olsen ... Claude Minkins
- André De Shields ... Teddy Dolson
- J. K. Simmons ... Dr. Mingus
- Peter Appel ... Det. Stone
- Diana Zimmer ... Helen
- Nancy Beatty ... Ruth Myrick
[edit] Plot
Dr. Guy Luthan (Hugh Grant) is a New York emergency room doctor who one night comes across a strange patient: a homeless man who has a wristband from a hospital he's not familiar with, mentioning a drug he's never heard of, and with strange symptoms, including a wildly fluctuating heart rate. When the man dies, Guy attempts to follow up and find out more about the patient - only to find that the body and all records have disappeared, and he's told by his superiors to drop the case.
As he continues trying to find out what happened, his personal and professional life get suddenly sidetracked. His home is ransacked and cocaine is planted near his bedside. Dr. Myrick is behind the set up. The police arrest him and he is convicted, thus losing his job, the ability to ever practice medicine anywhere in the world and virtually all of his friends. In desperation, he manages to get the help of some homeless men who lead him to their underground home. His ER patient who died also had lived there. Through them he's led to an organization, led by Dr. Myrick (Hackman), that performs spinal experiments on these homeless people, of which all have died thus far, in an attempt to find a cure for paralysis.
Dr. Myrick attempts to sway Dr. Luthan to join his team, stating that these people are heroes and losing one to save millions is worth the sacrifice. Dr. Luthan states they have not chosen to be heroes. Dr. Myrick is shot and accidentally killed by FBI Agent Hare. Later, Mrs. Myrick hands the tapes and documentation regarding the research to Dr. Luthan stating "my husband was trying to do the right thing in the wrong way". He opens the package, views the materials and proceeds towards the neurology building where he is now working.
[edit] Quotes
- Dr. Lawrence Myrick: "People die everyday. And for what? For nothing. What do we do? What do *you* do? You take care of the ones you think you can save. Good doctors do the correct thing. Great doctors have the guts to do the right thing. Your father had those guts."
- Dr. Guy Luthan: "Those men upstairs, maybe there isn't much point to their lives. Maybe they are doing a great thing for the world. Maybe they are heroes. But they didn't choose to be. You chose for them. And you can't do that, because you're a doctor, and you took an oath. I don't care if you find a cure for every disease on the planet! You tortured and murdered those men upstairs, and that makes you a disgrace to your profession!"
