John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) goes out on a limb to discover a miracle cure for his children suffering from Pompe, a rare and usually fatal genetic disease, by recruiting a brutish scientist, (Harrison Ford), and creating his own biotech firm devoted to manufacturing the necessary drugs. Though this brings up interesting issues about the fussy realities of big-business science, the film portrays them as plot contrivances, rather than ideas for the audience to ponder. The movie feels unusual in the midst of winter’s schlock, but it is an exploitation movie to be sure, greasing its plot gears with the inherent wrongness of a child suffering. Extraordinary Measures is a prestigious
B-movie.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2010.
