TEHRAN – The Iranian Artist Forum has picked British director Michael Apted’s 1996 medical thriller “Extreme Measures” for its weekly review program.  

Critic Mostafa Jalali-Fakhr, who is also a physician, will attend the program, which will be held following a screening of the film at 5 pm.

The film was made based on Michael Palmer’s 1991 novel of the same name, dealing with the ethics of medical sacrifices.

Hugh Grant stars as Dr. Guy Luthan who treats a homeless man with strange symptoms, but then the patient disappears out from under his care along with any files pertaining to him. 

In trying to track the man down, Luthan gradually begins to suspect there is a conspiracy, which is leading him to the highly respected Dr. Lawrence Myrick (Gene Hackman). Unfortunately, the powers behind it would prefer he not snoop around, and Luthan finds himself being destroyed both professionally and personally.

The film had a mixed reception from critics. It currently holds a 56 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. Ebert mentioned in his review that the film is “pitched at a higher level than most thrillers; the dialogue is literate and intelligent, and Grant is more of an everyman than an action hero.”

Grant’s performance received particular praise for this film, along with “An Awfully Big Adventure”, for playing against type in his post-“Four Weddings and a Funeral” career in the late 1990s. 

Kenneth Turan, who disliked the film, said of Grant’s performance, “Though he doesn’t have enough weight to stabilize the film when the plotting turns silly, overall he does a capable job in an unlikely role.”

Janet Maslin, writing in The New York Times, was generally positive about the film, describing it as “stylish and taut with a taste for macabre little surprises.”

Despite debuting in second place at the U.S. box office, the film was not a box office success. It opened in third place at UK box offices.

Photo: Hugh Grant (C) in “Extreme Measures”.

MMS/YAW