MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Neo-Noir Political Action Thriller/Stars: Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, Howard Duff, George Dzundza, Jason Bernard, Iman, Fred Dalton Thompson, Michael Shillo, David Paymer, Robert Kerman/Runtime: 114 minutes
I think it’s safe to start this review off by saying that, contrary to the law of popular opinion, sometimes all an actor really needs in order to make it to the big time (becoming a bonafide movie star) is not just merely years and years of practice and bit parts. Rather, it’s being a part of that one movie that manages to strike just the right chord with both critics as well as the general moviegoing audience in equal measure and all of a sudden you’re being swarmed by fans wanting an autograph plus everyone knows your name and paparazzi want to hound you day and night for a picture….or something to that effect. For someone like Samuel L. Jackson that movie was 1994’s Pulp Fiction, for Alan Rickman it was Die Hard in 1988, for Morgan Freeman it was 1987’s highly underrated Street Smart, for Sean Connery it was (of course) 1962’s Dr. No, and for little-known nowadays (I kid, I kid) actor Kevin Costner it was in 1987 with both gangster masterpiece The Untouchables and another movie called No Way Out respectively. Yet in a bit of intrigue, I have managed to pick up on something that’s a bit heartbreaking to me. That being that whilst The Untouchables does manage (and rightfully so) to get quite a bit of love to this very day from movie goers and critics like myself, No Way Out by the same token tragically doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it ought to. An observation that, if I’m being honest with you, really does sadden me a fair bit. I mean is the movie a perfect and flawless in every way cinematic effort? Honestly no not really. At the same time though, does that mean this film is a complete and utter catastrophe that is better off avoiding at any and all cost? Truthfully I wouldn’t say that either. I mean don’t get me wrong dear reader: there are some issues to be found with this film make no mistake about it. However, when you also throw into the mix wonderful work from behind the camera, top-tier work from a game cast of dependable players in front of the camera, and a twist ending that I guarantee you will leave your jaw on the floor no matter if it’s the first or 71st time you are watching it then there is no denying that what you are left with is more than just a film that is genuinely special. Rather, it also manages to be an electrifying cat and mouse style thriller that, if given the chance to work its magic on you, will most assuredly leave you on the edge of your seat in the best way possible.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a 1946 novel by the name of The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing, No Way Out gets its electrifying narrative underway in a rather distinct place. That place being a house in the nearby vicinity of a little building known as the Pentagon and where an interrogation of sorts is taking place of a man we quickly come to learn is a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy named Tom Farrell. Among the topics being discussed in this episode of Interrogation Jeopardy however, there is one that keeps being brought up. That topic being how exactly did Farrell come to meet one David Brice aka the U.S. Secretary of Defense. From there, the bulk of the narrative (surprise surprise) takes us back in time about six months where we see Tom accepting an invite from an old college buddy named Scott Pritchard to attend an inaugural ball where Secretary Brice is in attendance. It is also here where we see our intrepid hero meet a particularly lovely young woman named Susan Atwell with whom he begins a casual yet passionate romance shortly before he heads out for the Philippines on active duty. Yet, despite not thinking that much of him at their first initial meeting, we see Brice, following Farrell’s heroic rescue of a shipmate during a storm, sense an opportunity to deal with a particularly nasty political dispute he is involved in and brings Farrell onboard his staff to operate as more or less his eyes and ears with other government agencies especially the CIA. Accepting the post, we see our boy wonder make the return trip to DC and start getting adjusted to his new duties whilst also reuniting with Susan despite her letting him in on a little secret. That being that she is also seeing Brice. Suffice it to say that this looks like a situation that could become quite messy and it isn’t long before it does when, following Tom and Susan coming back from a delightful weekend together, we see Brice make a rather surprise house call. One that, in the ensuing chaos, sees the furious/paranoid Brice confront Susan on who else she’s spending her time with only to accidentally push her off the top floor railing in her house and kill her. In a panic, we soon see Brice notify Pritchard of what has happened and intriguingly Pritchard has an idea on how they can ensure that she is never tied back to Brice. That being that, for some time prior, the intelligence community has been on the hunt for an almost-mythical KGB covert operative known as Yuri. Therefore, why not make him the man Atwell was seeing the night she was killed? However with more than one shred of the evidence recovered by Pritchard pointing to him rather than this phantom operative and the net beginning to close in around him, can our hero do what he can to bring Brice to justice and how does this, if at all, tie back to his interrogation at the start? That I will leave for you to find out for yourself…..
Now right off it should be said here that the work done behind the camera on this is really freaking good. This starts with the work done by director Roger Donaldson who is terrific at the helm here. I mean yes you can make the argument, and rightfully so, that this slice of cinema starts off a surprising bit on the lackadaisical side. However what Donaldson is doing here is not only luring you in with a false sense of calm, but also giving us a chance to get to know the characters a bit more in terms of personality/motivations than we would have in a standard run of the mill entry in this particular genre. Make no mistake though dear reader: once the tragic incident has occurred, Donaldson does a great job at from that point on starting to tighten the net around the main character bit by bit and soon it isn’t long before we too are beginning to brilliantly feel the same ever-rising senses of tension and claustrophobic panic respectively. I mean even at the end, which I shan’t go into detail here, we see that the tension doesn’t completely evaporate from the picture. Instead, it’s still there but with a hint of ambiguity to it as well. Suffice it to say that it’s a fantastic directorial effort from a director who has given audiences his fair share of gems besides this one including 1984’s The Bounty, 1988’s Cocktail, 1995’s Species, & 1997’s Dante’s Peak to name but a few. We also get a terrific musical accompaniment in this slice of cinema from none other than the iconic composer Maurice Jarre. I mean right from the word go this is a score that really sells not only how ominous, tense, and riveting the environment of the film is and becomes, but also remembers to give us at the least a couple of more idyllic moments as well including a scene with Tom and Susan driving down the road for a romantic getaway and of course their first interlude in the back of a limo which, set to the beautiful title tune performed by Pauk Anka, is easily the most soulful and heartfelt moment in the movie. It is also worth pointing out that this slice of cinema is in possession of a top-notch screenplay from gifted scribe Robert Garland. Yes he is adapting from previously established cinematic source material, in this case 1947’s The Big Clock, but by switching things up from a publishing company in the Big Apple to the backdoor political arenas of Washington DC, we see that Garland and the rest of the creative team are able to give this film a much-needed feeling of anxiety/paranoia thus placing us in a locale that, unlike in the prior film, proves to be equally ominous as well as alluring throughout. Finally, I also think praise should be afforded to the wonderful contribution to the film by late yet great director of photography John Alcott. Indeed Alcott was a master at his craft and here he does an impressive job at not only making every single location in this film possess either a distinct chill factor or even a hint of hidden peril, but also in giving this film a wonderful sense of anxiety-stricken panic particularly in the 3-4 yet all memorable chase scenes that are peppered in throughout the second half. Suffice it to say then that the work done behind the camera is pure cinematic skill in every sense of the word.
Of course, the other big component that helps to make this cinematic thrill ride as taut and engaging as it winds up being would without question have to be the wonderful work done by the immensely talented cast of players in front of the camera. This undeniably starts with the phenomenal work done by Kevin Costner in the lead role of Tom Farrell. Indeed this is a very unusual part to play for reasons I shan’t spoil here, but even with that in mind there is no denying that Costner does a great job at portraying this guy less as a career officer who is dead set on playing things by the book and instead portrays more like a congenial, and almost aw shucks “guy next door” type who you wouldn’t be too surprised to see at the crosswalk or in the car next to you driving to work one morning. More than that though, Costner also conveys an authenticity, believability, and even sense of integrity in this throughout the duration of the film that makes him a hero who is worth rooting for as the film goes along and he tries desperately to stay one step ahead of his pursuers in order to expose the truth. Suffice it to say it is a genuinely remarkable turn and it is not difficult by any stretch to see how it managed to help Costner go from great actor to movie star. Equally as good as Costner though is screen icon Gene Hackman in the role of Secretary Brice. Indeed this too is a very tricky character to portray because on one hand he is an adulterer and a murderer to say nothing of a bit of a sleaze, but at the same time there are moments where you oddly feel a bit of sympathy for the guy such as how he, unlike his other adulterer government authority figure role of Alan Richmond in 1997’s Absolute Power, seems genuinely remorseful for what he did to the point that he is actually willing to turn himself in at one point. Suffice it to say it is a truly complex performance from an actor who throughout his career did a wonderful job of giving us some of the best in that particular arena of acting. We also get a great turn here from Sean Young as Susan Atwell. Yes, her screentime in this is limited, but Young does a brilliant job at portraying a woman who has found herself stuck in a rather messy situation with Brice for quite a while only to find genuine happiness with Farrell and decides that being with Farrell’s worth more than her “relationship” with Brice only to pay the ultimate price for that choice. More than anyone though, perhaps the acting MVP in the film would have to be Will Patton as Scott Pritchard. Indeed Patton has long been a talent I have enjoyed seeing pop up in films and here he does such a great job at being this unnervingly calm yet also unapologetically slimy, sleazy, more than a bit unhinged, and downright hiss worthy villain that not only do you find your attention focused on him whenever he’s in a scene, but you just can’t wait to see him get his comeuppance whatever that may entail. Thus when you also factor in top-tier support work from such talents as the always enjoyable George Dzundza, Howard Duff, and Fred Dalton Thompson it’s clear that this movie may have some issues here and there, but the work done by the cast in front of the camera is definitely not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day, is No Way Out a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Truthfully no. At the same time however, is this a slice of cinema that should be avoided at any and all costs? I wouldn’t say that either. To be sure, this movie most assuredly is one that takes a fair bit of time to get the ball rolling on its narrative and that can be a bit of an issue for quite a few movie goers out there. Should you be able to sit through it however, I can promise you that the moment things finally begin to get underway, you will be rewarded with a delightfully old-school entry in the thriller genre of movie magic that I promise will leave you both riveted and with your jaw on the floor thanks in large part to a twist ending that I can definitely assure you that you won’t see coming. Not by a long shot. Indeed the fact that it’s swift of tempo, genuinely suspenseful, incredibly sculpted behind the camera, potently performed by a cast of skilled players in front of the camera, and even managed to operate as a wake-up call for Hollywood to maybe sit up and pay a bit more attention to its leading man as a bonafide star rather than just merely a talented performer just managed to be icing on the proverbial cinematic cake. Suffice it to say then dear reader that it might have its issues, but No Way Out is more than just a genuinely electric and underrated film that you should definitely check out if given the chance. Rather, it’s also both a fantastic example of what brilliant acting and behind the camera work can bring to a film to say nothing of a spot-on throwback to a type of thriller that we as an audience aren’t treated to as much as perhaps we ought to be in this day and age of sequels, requels, remakes, reimaginings, reboots, and whathaveyou. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give No Way Out “87” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
