Desperate Measures
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.
The film commercial failure against its respectable budget of $50.0M, earning $13.8M globally (-72% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the action genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Desperate Measures (1998) reveals carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Barbet Schroeder's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 12-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Frank Conner desperately searches for a bone marrow donor for his dying son Matthew, but no matches are found. His world is one of medical desperation and fading hope.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Frank makes the active choice to bring McCabe to the hospital under guard for the transplant procedure, crossing into a dangerous new world where he's allied with a killer., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat McCabe takes hostages and fully seizes control of parts of the hospital. The stakes raise dramatically as innocents are endangered and Frank realizes he's unleashed a monster he can't control. False defeat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 73 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Matthew's condition deteriorates critically - he's dying. The window for the transplant is closing. Everything Frank has risked seems lost, and his son will die anyway., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. The final confrontation. Frank executes his plan, corners McCabe, and forces the transplant at gunpoint. The climactic battle resolves with McCabe defeated and the marrow harvested in time., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Desperate Measures's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 12 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Desperate Measures against these established plot points, we can identify how Barbet Schroeder utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Desperate Measures within the action genre.
Barbet Schroeder's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Barbet Schroeder films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Desperate Measures takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Barbet Schroeder filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Barbet Schroeder analyses, see Murder by Numbers, Single White Female and Kiss of Death.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Frank Conner desperately searches for a bone marrow donor for his dying son Matthew, but no matches are found. His world is one of medical desperation and fading hope.
Theme
A doctor tells Frank that sometimes you have to take desperate measures to save a life, foreshadowing the moral compromises ahead.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Frank's world: his sick son in the hospital, his ex-wife, his job as a police officer, and the dire medical situation. Introduction of the bone marrow registry search turning up nothing.
Resistance
Frank debates whether to approach a dangerous criminal for help. He researches McCabe, visits him in prison, and negotiates. McCabe agrees but demands his freedom in return, forcing Frank to make an impossible choice.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Frank makes the active choice to bring McCabe to the hospital under guard for the transplant procedure, crossing into a dangerous new world where he's allied with a killer.
Mirror World
McCabe is brought to the hospital, and the thematic mirror relationship begins: both men will do anything to survive/save what they love, reflecting each other's desperation.
Premise
The cat-and-mouse game in the hospital. McCabe escapes during the medical procedure, turning the hospital into a locked-down battleground. Frank must hunt the very man he needs to save his son.
Midpoint
McCabe takes hostages and fully seizes control of parts of the hospital. The stakes raise dramatically as innocents are endangered and Frank realizes he's unleashed a monster he can't control. False defeat.
Opposition
McCabe stays ahead of police, uses hospital staff as shields, and proves increasingly dangerous. FBI wants to kill him, but Frank desperately tries to keep him alive. Pressure intensifies from all sides.
Collapse
Matthew's condition deteriorates critically - he's dying. The window for the transplant is closing. Everything Frank has risked seems lost, and his son will die anyway.
Crisis
Frank faces his darkest moment, knowing his desperate measure has failed. McCabe is still loose, people are dead, and his son is slipping away. He must process this loss and find new resolve.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The final confrontation. Frank executes his plan, corners McCabe, and forces the transplant at gunpoint. The climactic battle resolves with McCabe defeated and the marrow harvested in time.