Three Fugitives (1989)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Francis Veber

Writer (WGA):

Francis Veber (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

Nick Nolte is an experienced criminal trying to go straight until bumbling bank robber, Martin Short and his young daughter enter his life and turn it upside down in "Three Fugitives".

Plot:

On his first day after being released from jail for 14 armed bank robberies, Lucas finds himself caught up in someone else's robbery...

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Detective | Bank Robbery | Fugitive | Mute

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Lucas
Martin Short	...	Ned Perry
Sarah Rowland Doroff	...	Meg Perry
James Earl Jones	...	Dugan
Alan Ruck	...	Dectective Tener
Kenneth McMillan	...	Dr. Horvath
David Arnott	...	Fogerty, Bank Teller
Bruce McGill	...	Charlie
Lee Garlington	...	Woman Cop
Sy Richardson	...	Tucker
Rocky Giordani	...	Bowles
Rick Hall	...	Police Dog Handler
Bill Cross	...	Guard at Prison
Stanley Brock	...	Release Sergeant
John Procaccino	...	Highway Patrolman

Runtime:

96 min | Spain:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Eatonville, Washington, USA

Company:

Silver Screen Partners IV

Trivia:

The announcer of the baseball game heard on the radio is the late Art Popham, a local who announced Tacoma Tigers games for many years but at the release time of the movie had retired from sports casting to write for the Tacoma News Tribune as a business columnist and to be with his family.

Goofs:

Continuity: When running from the police into the park, Lucas has his hat on right before dodging behind the bush. As he flattens to the ground his hat is gone, but in the next shot his hat is on again.

Quotes:

Ned Perry: [after putting a teddy bear inside his dress to look like a pregnant woman] This is gonna be one really surprised obstetrician...

Movie Connections:

References Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Soundtrack:

HARD WORK

Reasonable comedy that becomes too sentimental

Lucas (Nolte) is released from prison and makes his way to a bank to deposit a cheque. Once inside he finds himself drawn into an armed robbery by Perry (Short) who needs money to care for his daughter. Naturally the police doubt that Lucas is an innocent bystander and pursue both men for the crime.

This is a reasonable comedy, and that's about the nicest you can say. It veers from moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity to moments that are overly sentimental and sugary that make you want to cringe. The plot is quite interesting although you know roughly what's going to happen with the mix-matched trio - the instant Short tells Nolte that his daughter hasn't spoken for 2 years you know what's going to regarding that. The detail of the story is less predictable and often brings funny moments but you never for one minute think to yourself "wow - how's this great story going to end?" You never think that this is going to end in a huge shoot out in which everyone dies - you know it's going to be happy.

Nolte is good, playing his tough guy role well and his warming towards the daughter is quite believable. Short is a manic clown and it's a role is good at as he does it so often. Doroff (Meg) is quite good for a child and she is made to look bad by all her scenes being horribly sentimental and sweet or, when she isn't speaking and just stares, she is looks like the children of the corn. Smaller roles held by people like James Earl Jones, Alan Ruck and Bruce McGill are all good, and add interest by seeing well known faces.

Overall the film has some very funny situations but they are vastly outnumbered by scenes of such saccharine that it's far too sickly sweet for it's own good.