When a homeless man dies in the trauma rooms of one of New York's busiest hospitals, no one gives it a second thought. Except for Dr. Guy Luthan who finds the symptoms which caused the death, very strange along with the fact the man was already wearing a strange hospital wrist band. As he investigates ... Read review
Extreme Measuresloses credibility near the climax when it sacrifices its hold on reality, ... more
but this entertaining, intelligent thriller effectively applies a formulaic plot to the complicated ethics of medical research. It also gives Hugh Grant an opport...
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Dr Guy Luthan did everything right but it turned out wrong. A patient under his care at ... more
New York's Gramercy Hospital mysteriously died, and now Luthan wants to know why. However, when he looks for post-mortem details, he finds no body.. and no reports....
With Mitch Rapp away on assignment in Pakistan CIA Director Irene Kennedy turns to his ... more
protege Mike Nash. Nash has served his government honourably for sixteen years first as an officer in the Marine Corps then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Rapp never wavering in his fight against the jihadis and their culture of death. Fighting the War on Terror in secret he has been forced to lie to everyone he cares about including his wife and children. He has soldiered on secure in the knowledge that his hard work and lethal tactics have saved the lives of thousands. But the one thing he never saw coming was that his own government was about to turn on him ...
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With Mitch Rapp away on assignment in Pakistan CIA Director Irene Kennedy turns to his ... more
protege Mike Nash. Nash has served his government honourably for sixteen years first as an officer in the Marine Corps then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Mitch Rapp never wavering in his fight against the jihads and their culture of death. Fighting the War on Terror in secret he has been forced to lie to everyone he cares about including his wife and children. He has soldiered on secure in the knowledge that his hard work and lethal tactics have saved the lives of thousands. But the one thing he never saw coming was that his own government was about to turn on him ...
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Dr Eric Najarian has all the qualities they're looking for at White Memorial Hospital. ... more
What he doesn't know is, that he's being watched by an elite clique of medical professionals who want him to join their secret club. But, Eric has already seen too much, and he will become their next victim, if he refuses to become their colleague.
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
When a homeless man dies in the trauma rooms of one of New York's busiest hospitals, no one gives it a second thought. Except for Dr. Guy Luthan who finds the symptoms which caused the death, very strange along with the fact the man was already wearing a strange hospital wrist band. As he investigates the death further, he uncovers an underground medical research program, which is headed by Dr. Lawrence Myrick, one of the countries most respected ... ...a cure for paralysis by testing medicines on homeless people. What will Luthan do about this disregard for medical and moral ethics? What will Myrick do as his secret may be revealed at the cost of his career?
This is an interesting and entertaining thriller which poses a very real question of how far should medical research go. It also allows us to see Hugh Grant step out of his comedy roles and take on the role of the inquisitive, ... more
When a homeless man dies in the trauma rooms of one of New York's busiest hospitals, no one gives it a second thought. Except for Dr. Guy Luthan who finds the symptoms which caused the death, very strange along with the fact the man was already wearing a strange hospital wrist band. As he investigates the death further, he uncovers an underground medical research program, which is headed by Dr. Lawrence Myrick, one of the countries most respected medical figures. He discovers that Myrick has been illegally researching a cure for paralysis by testing medicines on homeless people. What will Luthan do about this disregard for medical and moral ethics? What will Myrick do as his secret may be revealed at the cost of his career?
This is an interesting and entertaining thriller which poses a very real question of how far should medical research go. It also allows us to see Hugh Grant step out of his comedy roles and take on the role of the inquisitive, emergency room surgeon. I feel that this film is often over looked, because it is hard to think of Hugh Grant being able to take on a serious character in a modern setting. This is a shame, as not only he is he very good, the whole film is one of the better thrillers from the 90's.
The main character of the film is Dr. Guy Luthan, played by Hugh Grant. As I said before, Grant puts in an excellent performance as the doctor even though it is not his usual sort of character. You also get the exceptionally talented Gene Hackman as Dr. Lawrence Myrick, although he hardly appears in the first half of the film. Hackman brings years of acting experience to the role and this helps to make the film as good as it is. There are some big stars in this film that play supporting roles, names such as Sarah Jessica Parker, David Morse, Bill Nunn all add to keeping the film moving and interesting.
The film is directed by Michael Apted who in my eyes is a master of thrillers, having directed the excellent Gory Park and Blink. Through his expert directional skills he keeps this film moving along at a perfect pace which leaves you just enough time to take in what is happening in each scene and allows your imagination to try and work out what will happen next. The score to the film is created by Danny Elfman (Desperate Housewives, Spiderman), he has used a lot of percussion and piano to create a very haunting soundtrack which helps to create the mood of the film very well.
The 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 Debra Monk .... Dr. Judith Gruszynski J.K. Simmons .... Dr. Mingus
Technical Details ---------------------
Certificate: 15 Length: 114 mins
Bonus Material ------------------
Sadly the only bonus material on the disc is the trailer; this is somewhat of a disappointment as I would love to have seen a feature dealing with the ethical questions posed in the film.
The Message & Christian View Point --------------------------------------------
The message of this film is that life is a gift and so should be respected. Just because someone may not live the most affluent of lifestyles they still should be respected as we would hope to be respected. It also poses the ethical question of how far medical research should go in the search for cures to some of the horrible diseases that plague are world. Should we allow testing to be carried out on humans, should we allow testing to be carried out on animals? It's a hard question as without the research we may never be able to find cures, but in doing so should people and animals suffer at the hands of scientists.
Conclusion & Rating -------------------------
This is a film which seems to have been over looked as a successful thriller, which is a shame as it throws some very good ethical questions into the ring. It also shows Hugh Grant in a new light as an actor who can play gritty modern characters. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller which will keep you hooked.
The DVD is currently £15.99 on Amazon which is extortionate for a DVD with no bonus features but if you look at dotcomdvd you can pick it up at the much more reasonable price of £4.25.
At New York's Gramercy Hospital, a homeless man under the care of English doctor Guy Luthan (Hugh Grant) dies in a horrific manner. Soon both the patient and his file mysteriously disappear. The puzzled Luthan is told by a superior to forget about it and move on. Undaunted, Luthan conducts his own investigation--and uncovers a scandal in which homeless people are being used as human guinea pigs in the name of science. The moral Luthan wants to put a stop to this, but doing so may cost him his career--and his life. Adapted from a book by Michael Palmer, the film marches to its conclusion with as much suspense as director Michael Apted's previous thrillers (AGATHA, GORKY PARK, and THUNDERHEART). Grant plays the charming, put-upon Englishman to perfection, while Gene Hackman and Sarah Jessica Parker provide strong supporting roles. An intelligent examination of the contemporary dilemmas in medical ethics, the film concludes with an ending that will challenge viewers' moral beliefs.
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