Desperate Measures (1998)

Overview · Where to watch · Cast & crew · Reviews

Desperate times call for. . .

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son. There's only one catch the potential donor is convicted multiple murderer Peter McCabe who sees a trip to the hospital as the perfect opportunity to get what he wants most: freedom. With McCabe's escape, the entire hospital becomes a battleground and Connor must pursue and, ironically, protect the deadly fugitive who is his son's only hope for survival.

• Released: 1998-01-30
• Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime
• Runtime: 1h 40m
• Status: Released
• TMDB rating: 6.0/10 from 334 votes

Directed by Barbet Schroeder.

Top cast

• Michael Keaton as Peter McCabe
• Andy Garcia as Frank Conner
• Brian Cox as Captain Jeremiah Cassidy
• Marcia Gay Harden as Dr. Samantha Hawkins
• Erik King as Nate Oliver
• Efrain Figueroa as Vargas
• Joseph Cross as Matthew Conner
• Janel Moloney as Sarah Davis
• Richard Riehle as Ed Fayne
• Tracey Walter as Medical Inmate

Full cast & crew

Where to watch Desperate Measures

• United States: stream on Howdy Amazon Channel; watch free on The Roku Channel, VIX , YouTube Free, Tubi TV; rent on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home; buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
• United Kingdom: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube; buy on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
• India: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video; buy on Apple TV Store
• Canada: rent on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video; buy on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video
• Australia: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube; buy on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

Movies like Desperate Measures

If you enjoyed Desperate Measures, these movies have a similar feel:

• Traitor (2008)
• 21 Grams (2003)
• Joy Ride (2001)
• City of Ghosts (2002)
• Black Site (2022)
• Blood Work (2002)
• High Sierra (1941)
• King Ivory (2025)
• Nowhere to Run (1993)
• Lock Up (1989)
• Cape Fear (1962)
• The Escapist (2008)

Can't decide what to watch?

FlickPicker recommends movies from your own taste and the services you subscribe to, and Pick Together lets a whole group vote on tonight's pick. Try the free random movie generator, find movies with AI, or browse trending movies.

Download FlickPicker on the App Store   Explore the iPhone app