Synopsis

After a homeless man dies in his emergency room, New York doctor Guy Luthan discovers that the patient's body and medical records have vanished. His investigation exposes a secret program using homeless people as unwilling subjects in experimental paralysis research. As powerful figures destroy his career and frame him for crimes, Luthan must uncover the truth and confront the scientist behind the experiments.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on Michael Palmer's 1991 medical thriller novel of the same name.

• The project was originally developed as a vehicle for Alec Baldwin before moving to Simian Films, the production company formed by Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley.

• The screenplay was developed for about a year and included rewrites involving veteran screenwriter William Goldman.

• Although the story is set in New York City, much of the movie was filmed in Toronto. Locations included Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan and Lower Bay subway station in Toronto.

• The production marked a significant change of pace for Hugh Grant, who was then best known for romantic comedies. He visited New York hospitals to prepare for the role of an emergency-room doctor.

• The names of the two men posing as law-enforcement officers, Hare and Burke, refer to William Hare and William Burke, the 19th-century Edinburgh body snatchers who supplied cadavers for medical dissection.

• The film was the first production from Simian Films and was made through Castle Rock Entertainment.

• Released in the United States on September 27, 1996, the movie earned about $17.4 million worldwide against an estimated $38 million budget.