Desperate Measures is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by Barbet Schroeder and starring Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Marcia Gay Harden, and Brian Cox. The movie is loosely based on William Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure.
The film follows San Francisco police officer Frank Connor (played by Garcia), whose young son Matt is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that requires a bone marrow transplant. Connor's wife and Matt's mother died of cancer, so his son is his only family left. Desperate to save his son's life, Connor finds out that the only compatible donor is the sociopathic and convicted serial killer Peter McCabe (played by Keaton), who is in prison awaiting execution.
Determined to save his son, Connor convinces McCabe to donate his bone marrow in exchange for luxurious privileges and the chance to escape during the procedure. But things quickly go wrong when McCabe escapes, killing several people in the process, and takes the hospital's staff and patients hostage.
Desperate Measures then becomes a fast-paced thriller in which Connor, who has lost everything, ironically, must protect and pursue the fugitive who is now his son's only hope for survival. McCabe, on the run, plays a psychological game with Connor while evading the police and FBI, who are closing in on him.
The film ends with an intense showdown between Connor and McCabe, who has made it to the airport and has a plane waiting to fly him to freedom. In a final twist, Connor sacrifices himself to save his son, and McCabe is arrested before being executed.
Desperate Measures received mixed reviews from critics, but the performances of both Keaton and Garcia were praised. Despite its flaws, the movie remains a compelling crime thriller that keeps audiences on the edge of their seat from start to finish.