Die and inherit
Movie | |
---|---|
German title | Die and inherit |
Original title | Critical Care |
Country of production | United States |
original language | English |
Publishing year | 1997 |
length | 102 minutes |
Age rating | FSK 12 |
Rod | |
Director | Sidney Lumet |
script | Steven Schwartz |
production |
Don Carmody Sidney Lumet Steven Schwartz |
music | Michael Convertino |
camera | David Watkin |
cut | Tom Swartwout |
occupation | |
|
Death and inherit ( Critical Care ) is an American film comedy by Sidney Lumet from the year 1997 . Kyra Sedgwick and James Spader played the leading roles . The plot is based on a novel by Richard Dooling .
action
Dr. Werner Ernst works in a hospital, where he is responsible for the dying patient Potter. Mr. Potter's net worth is estimated at approximately $ 10 million. Potter is only referred to as bed five among the employees . He does not speak and it remains unclear whether he is conscious.
Potter's older daughter, Constance, believes that technical means should keep her father alive for as long as possible. The younger daughter Felicia takes the opposite view. She flirts with the doctor and wants to obtain a court order prohibiting her father from further treatment.
Dr. Ernst gets the chance to work as an assistant to a famous doctor, which in the hospital is considered a career leap. The patient called bed two wants their equipment to be turned off.
It turns out that Potter's will provides that Felicia should inherit everything should her father die in the next few weeks. In the opposite case, Constance should inherit everything. The hospital lawyer and Dr. Seriously, both daughters are only interested in money.
Potter drums his fingers on his bed. One of the staff sees this as Morse code characters which the statement if you love me ... arise.
Dr. Ernst appears at a hearing that is supposed to arbitrate the conflict. He forces Constance and Felicia to sign a contract according to which both daughters share the inheritance regardless of the date of death. He wants to make the decisions about the medical procedure himself.
In the last scene, Ernst helps an injured boy after an accident.
Reviews
James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the film tries to combine the elements of a satire with those of a film drama. Since the dramatic elements are neglected, the result is not satisfactory. Berardinelli praised the performances of James Spader, Helen Mirren and Albert Brooks but criticized the play by Kyra Sedgwick and Margo Martindale.
Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on October 31, 1997 that the film explores the conflict between morals and income. He praised the character of Dr. Butz.
Awards
Steven Schwartz was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award in 1998 .
Web links
- Death and inherit in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Death and inherit at Rotten Tomatoes (English)