| Three Fugitives | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Francis Veber |
| Produced by | Lauren Shuler Donner |
| Written by | Francis Veber |
| Starring | Nick Nolte Martin Short Sarah Rowland Doroff James Earl Jones |
| Music by | David McHugh |
| Cinematography | Haskell Wexler |
| Editing by | Bruce Green |
| Studio | Silver Screen Partners IV |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 27 January 1989 (USA) |
| Running time | 96 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15,000,000 |
Three Fugitives is a 1989 comedy film starring Nick Nolte, Martin Short, Sarah Rowland Doroff and James Earl Jones and written and directed by Francis Veber. It is a remake of Les Fugitifs, a 1986 French comedy starring Gerard Depardieu and Pierre Richard and also directed by Veber.
Lucas (Nolte) has been in prison for armed robbery. On the day he is released, he gets taken hostage by Ned Perry (Short), an incompetent, novice criminal who robs the bank (to get money for treatment for his ill daughter, Meg) at the moment Lucas just happens to be there.
Detective Duggan (Jones) assumes they must be in it together and sets about tracking them down. Several chases, an accidental shooting, treatment from a crazy vet and other capers follow, all the while Lucas trying to ditch his idiotic companion and prove his own innocence.
Whilst avoiding the law, the two form an unlikely partnership to help cure the silent Meg and make good their escape. They rescue Meg from the care home she's in (with Perry nearly ruining the whole affair with his clumsiness) and flee for Canada, pretending to be a married couple with a son.
All appears to end well. However, in the closing scene, Perry enters a Canadian bank to change some currency only to find himself taken hostage by a different bank robber in the same manner he originally kidnapped Lucas. Because of this unexpected development, Lucas does not need to say goodbye to Meg, with whom he has formed a bond.
The film was given mixed reviews but was generally considered to be a mildly amusing story despite a predictable plot.
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