EXTREME MEASURES. Directed by Michael Apted; written by Tony Gilroy; produced by Elizabeth Hurley for Castle Rock. Starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman. Rated R (language; intense, graphic hospital scenes; violence)
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As enjoyable as his light comedies are, it's nice to know that Hugh Grant isn't just another pretty face. That means that he's more likely to last a while and we can look forward to lots more entertaining and appealing performances, such as the one he turns in here.
Don't worry, ladies, Grant doesn't entirely turn off the charm in Extreme Measures. But the movie's plot, involving mysterious deaths, desperate chases through subway tunnels, and ethically questionable (to say the least) medical practices, is a far cry from Sense and Sensibility.
Guy (Grant) is a transplanted British doctor (you wouldn't want him to lose that accent, would you?) in charge of a New York City emergency room. He's good at what he does, too, and not just technically. He makes a point of communicating with and reassuring even the most shot-up of his patients. And he just can't seem to forget about the guy with the weird symptoms who died on his watch.
Most of Extreme Measures is fairly standard medical mystery fare: disappearing corpses and lost medical records make a cover-up likely. And it's pretty powerful forces doing the covering up; as Guy continues to tangle with them, he gets in deeper and deeper trouble. Until, of course, he has nothing more to lose.
But the standard plotline is fleshed out in admirable style. There's Grant's appealing yet intense performance and director Apted's sure hand in generating a creepy atmosphere (he also directed Blink, another more- interesting-than-average thriller). As well as some nice script touches, like minor characters with more to do in the end than you expected, and a provocative moral dilemma very persuasively expressed.
That dilemma might just be a bit too thorny for the movie to support, though, since the ending leaves quite a few practical questions unanswered (I can't say more without revealing too much and breaking my reviewer's oath!).
But Extreme Measures is still extremely interesting. And not least because it tells us we can expect more than just charm and dimples from Mr. Grant.
October 16, 1996