No Way Out
Tags: mystery, neo noir, murder, violence, intrigue, plot twist, suspenseful

Plot synopsis:
Dr. Luther Brooks (Sidney Poitier), an intern who has just passed the state board examination to qualify for his license to practice, is the first African-American doctor at the urban county hospital at which he trained. Because he lacks self-confidence, Luther requests to work as a junior resident at the hospital for another year. Johnny (Dick Paxton) and Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark), brothers who were both shot in the leg by a policeman as they attempted a robbery, are brought to the hospital's prison ward. As Luther tends to the disoriented Johnny, he is bombarded with racist slurs by Ray, who grew up in Beaver Canal, the white working class section of the city. Believing that Johnny has a brain tumor, Luther administers a spinal tap, but Johnny dies during the procedure. Wondering if Ray's antagonism may have caused him to be careless, Luther consults his mentor, chief medical resident Dr. Daniel Wharton (Stephen McNally), and Wharton concedes that a brain tumor was only one possibility. Feeling that he must prove the accuracy of his diagnosis, Luther requests an autopsy, but Wharton informs him that according to state law, they cannot proceed without the permission of the deceased's family. When Ray refuses, as he does not want his brother's body to be cut up, Wharton confers with the head of the hospital, Dr. Sam Moreland (Stanley Ridges), about requisitioning an autopsy.
Moreland, aware that a scandal over the black doctor's actions could endanger funding, denies the request in the hope that the incident will be forgotten. Upon learning from police records that Johnny was married, Wharton and Luther visit his widow, Edie Johnson (Linda Darnell), who tells the doctors that she divorced Johnny a year and a half ago, and that she hates his whole family. Although she does not reveal it to Wharton, his sympathetic attitude persuades her to visit Ray to ask about the autopsy. Ray tells her, however, that Johnny would be alive if he had had a white doctor, and that Wharton wants to have the autopsy to cover up the truth about Luther's actions.
Edie's racist feelings are revived by Ray, with whom she had committed adultery, and he convinces her that Wharton played her for a "chump", and that she can make up for her past infidelity to Johnny by contacting Beaver Canal club owner Rocky Miller (Bert Freed) and telling him about Johnny's death. Accompanied by Ray's other brother George (Harry Bellaver), who is deaf, Edie goes to the club, where Rocky and his pals lay plans to attack the black section of town, which they call "Niggertown".
Although Edie desperately wishes to leave, Rocky forces her to stay. Meanwhile, Luther arrives at the hospital and learns about the upcoming attack from Lefty Jones (Dots Johnson), a black elevator operator. Luther tries to dissuade Lefty from organizing a counterattack, but Lefty reminds him of a race riot that occurred while Luther was away at school, during which Lefty and his sister were beaten. Luther then contacts Alderman Tompkins to try to avert the riot, while Lefty and a large group of blacks, including Luther's brother-in-law John (Ossie Davis, uncredited), meet and plan their strategy. Edie watches in disgust as the whites prepare their weapons, but leaves before the blacks surprise the whites by attacking first. As victims of the riots are brought in to the hospital, Wharton is called in from home. Before he departs, however, a drunken and disheartened Edie arrives at his house, and Wharton leaves her in the care of his black maid, Gladys (Amanda Randolph). Although Edie fears that Gladys will harm her because of her connection to the riot, Gladys tenderly cares for her when she collapses.
At the hospital, Luther tends to the victims until a white woman orders him to take his "black hands" off her son. Stunned, Luther walks out, and the next morning, after Wharton returns home to find Edie chatting with Gladys, Luther's wife Cora (Mildred Joanne Smith) arrives and announces that Luther has given himself up to the police for the murder of Johnny Biddle. Cora relates that after he left the hospital, Luther realized that the coroner would be forced to conduct an autopsy if he were charged with murder. Wharton assures Cora that he will stand by Luther, and after he leaves with Edie, Cora's stoic demeanor in front of the whites crumbles and she cries in Gladys' arms.
Following the autopsy, the coroner confirms that Johnny died of a brain tumor and that Luther was justified in performing the spinal tap. Wharton, Cora and Edie are pleased that Luther has been exonerated, but Ray insists that the doctors are conspiring to bury the truth. Luther leaves with Cora, following by Edie, who denounces Ray before she departs. After overhearing Wharton tell the coroner that he is leaving town for a much-needed rest, Ray and George overpower the police guard and escape. When Edie returns to her apartment, she finds Ray and George waiting, and Ray, whose leg is bleeding profusely, beats Edie to make her call Luther and tell him to meet Wharton at his house. Drunk and in shock, Ray raves that he is going to kill Luther, then leaves Edie with George. By turning up the volume on her radio, which George does not notice, Edie prompts her neighbors to break down her door, then escapes and calls the hospital prison ward for help.
Meanwhile, when Luther enters Wharton's house, Ray holds a gun on him, beats him and shouts racist slurs. Edie arrives and tries to stop Ray from killing Luther, but Ray's physical pain and obsessive hatred have pushed him beyond reason. Edie turns out the lights as Ray shoots at Luther, and although Luther is wounded in the shoulder, he retrieves Ray's gun as he collapses in pain. Edie coldly tells Luther to let Ray's leg bleed, but Luther asserts that he cannot kill Ray simply because of his racism, then uses the gun and Edie's scarf to fashion a tourniquet. As a siren announces the arrival of the police, Luther tells the hysterical Ray, "Don't cry, white boy, you're gonna live."

Review: This film is a taut thriller and has a very good pairing of Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman in a story of a cover-up and murder.
Plot twists and suspense are highlighted by great acting, and as the cover-up unravels, Costner finds himself in increasing danger in the halls of the Pentagon.
Some extra plot twists have been added and it all adds up to riveting entertainment after a slow start.Costner romances Sean Young after a brief flirtation and then discovers she is the mistress of the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman).
Set in the Cold War era, Gene Hackman plays the Secretary of Defense, a married man obsessed with his mistress, the exquisitely beautiful Sean Young...as is her other secret lover, Costner, a Naval Admiral who is the C.I.A.'s Liaison.
When Hackman accidentally kills Young in a jealous rage, a cover-up begins to find the notorious, never-seen Russian mole "Yuri" who works within the Pentagon, and to frame him for the murder.
No Way Out is one of those exciting thrillers, in many a moon, if with only a slow lead up to the accidental murder of Hackman's mistress (Young), by the man himself, where a hard slap sends her over a balustrade, to her death.
This situation of story structure is what makes the movie exciting, where the walls start to come closing in, and Costner feels only too obliged to really tell the other operatives about what really went down, but of course can't, for a few reasons.
I am usually a sucker for good thrillers, but I seem to be one of few that has found this film to be at best mediocre, especially considering the presence of Kevin Costner and (especially) Gene Hackman.The plot is so ridiculous (to put it mildly) that I find myself unable to accept it and therefore enjoy the movie as such.
to me,this is a brilliant political/military suspense/thriller.it's starts off pretty quickly and just goes from there.there isn't a lot of time for character development in this movie,but the suspense and intrigue makes up for it.there are some great actors here,including Kevin Costner,Gene Hackman,and Will Patton.Costner and Hackmman are good,but Patton really impressed me here.George Dzunda also stars and his role is small,but i thought he was very good.i also liked Sean young.it's too bad we don't see her in that many movies.many people might say this is a formulaic movie,and that could be true,but there are bad formulaic movies and good formulaic movies.for me,this falls into the very good category.for one thing,it kept my attention the whole time and was very exciting.my vote for No Way Out:a 9/10.
The movie has images that impress themselves on the viewer's perception, willy nilly, whole scenes and little bits of business.We have, first of all, Kevin Costner as a naval officer all of us can identify with -- he's smart, heroic, handsome, virile, important, and looks very spiffy in his immaculate white uniform and shoes as he skips or runs full tilt through the sterile corridors of the Pentagon, pursued by devils or by two brainless thugs in dark suits, one of whom sprints in a more than usually awkward manner, his arms flapping gracelessly at his sides.
The first half of the film is used to set up stock characters: Costner's naval officer is a hero; Young's kept woman has a heart of gold; Hackman's U.S. defence minister is an amoral and calculating bureaucrat.
But for professional audiences and concerns, first of all No Way Out has everything in common with the Film Noir age movies; a hero and his squeeze, he's growing suspect if she's on cheating him, suddenly she dies creating a twist in the story, hero runs after to solve the mystery of her death, as simple as that.
If you're looking to find a good crime film, you're in the wrong place.I will finish up with what I liked most in No Way Out. It's a great popcorn movie, a perfect choice for having fun with family or with spouse/girlfriend.
Another potentially intriguing movie ruined by ridiculous car chases, unbelievable coincidences, and an insipid ending which gives the viewer a cheap thrill, but once examined makes no sense whatsoever when one recalls how the characters behaved throughout the film and the motivations for their actions.Don't buy it, don't rent it, and don't waste time watching it..
Kevin Costner impressed me in the lead role which seemed to be tailer made for him and Gene Hackman who I rate highly as an actor produced his usual committed performance so overall worth a look.Rating: 7/10.
No Way Out (1987) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Excellent thriller has the Defense Secretary (Gene Hackman) killing his mistress (Sean Young) not knowing that a man who works for him (Kevin Costner) was also with the woman and witnessed him entering her home shortly before the murder.
I thought the screenplay did a terrific job at making sure the film was always one step ahead of the viewer and this just gave us more suspense and especially since we know Costner is innocent and we don't see a way he can prove it.
It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, George Dzundza and Howard Duff.
Cast are led superbly by Costner and Hackman, though Young is a bit too dull an actress to really put fire into the key femme role, and Alcott makes great use of the real Washington locations to bring visual authenticity to the story's setting.Jarre's score is hokey sounding and doesn't sit right with the dramatics on show, while the big reveal at the finale is still as divisive today as it was back on the film's release, but this is still a fine example of a film noir remake that really works for the neo-noir loving crowd.
(Many rooms in the Pentagon could never be entered by outside people for any reason, which is another point overlooked in the film.) But never mind, this is a movie, and this lockdown and search idea is taken from THE BIG CLOCK where this process takes place inside a New York office building of a magazine empire owned by the character played by Charles Laughton.
The other point of contact between the two films is the central plot premise that 'the bad powerful man', in this case the Secretary of Defence, played by Gene Hackman, has accidentally murdered his mistress and tries to pin it on an aide, played by Kevin Costner.
The movie also ignites with passion, as Kevin Costner fell for the Secretary of Foreign Affair's mistress played by Sean Young.
With a fine supporting role from Will Patton (who would later appear in the less successful "The Postman" with Costner) "No Way Out" keeps you on the edge of your seat from start-to-surprise end finish.Overall rating: 7 out of 10..
It is a very good movie if you like action thrillers that take place in Washington D.C. My only problem is that is starts out a little slow ,but it gradually .The cast is excellent as is the directing !!Look for big star Will Patton in a small role!!Costner and Patton would latter return together in the Kevin Costner movie "The Postman"!.
Six months earlier, Farrell got involved with Susan Atwell (Sean Young) without knowing that she's the mistress to the secretary of defense David Brice (Gene Hackman).
I saw this movie in the early 90's and its been the 3rd time that i watched it on TV and never was there a dull moment as i enjoyed it again.The best part of No Way Out is that the suspense is maintained till the last scene.
I do know that while "No Way Out" is about the Pentagon and the intrigue centers around the secretary of defense and a naval officer, Commander Tom Farrell (Costner) "The Big Clock" was about a publishing tycoon.
Actually, it is Costner who ends up having no way out, having been implicated in a death, and he has to work against the clock to prove what's really going on.This is the first Costner film I had seen, and the crackling script is really brought to life by the director, who builds up an extreme sense of tension as the clock ticks away.
Kevin Costner has a great job at the Pentagon, working directly under the Secretary of Defense, Gene Hackman.
It also has one of the best chase scenes I've ever seen, a hell of a great plot twist, and some great acting from Will Patton, Sean Young, Kevin Costner, and George Dzundza (Gene Hackman's performance is actually kinda disappointing, but I think it's because he really isn't given much to do, save for a few key scenes).
The Supporting Cast Settle in and the Film Finds its Footing in Confined Confusion with Twists and Turns, Suspense and Intrigue.Overall, it's an Overrated Reagan-Era Yuppie Yarn of Power and Politics that is Superficial but Entertaining Enough and is Above Average for its Type from the Era. It doesn't quite Reach the Heights of the Tom Clancy Inspired Movies but is Worth a Watch Nonetheless..
Continuing my plan to watch every Kevin Costner movie in order, I come to No Way Out from 1987.Plot In A Paragraph: Lt. Cdr.
***SPOILERS*** Power politics at it deadliest has Navy Lt.Cmdr Tom Farrell, Kevin Costner, get caught up in a murder that leads to the the door of the powerful and very outspoken US Secretary of Defense himself David Brice, Gene Hackman.
Farrell's troubles actually started at the Inauguration Ball when he met sexy party girl Susan Atwell, Sean Young, and got involved in a hot and heavy love affair with her.Being recommended for a job in Brice's office by his chief of staff Scott Pritchard, Will Patton, as his man in between the Defense Department and the intelligence services Farrell had no idea that at that very time he was involved with his boss', Secretary Brice, mistress Susan Atwell.
RELEASED IN 1987 and directed by Roger Donaldson, "No Way Out" is a political drama/thriller starring Keven Costner as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy who falls in love with a woman of dubious morality (Sean Young) and is thrust into a cover-up/witch hunt after a tragedy.
Gene Hackman plays his "boss" at the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense, while Will Patton appears as the Secretary's loyal and diligent assistant.This remake of 1948's "The Big Clock" makes great use of Washington DC & surrounding area (e.g. Arlington) with sweet opening and closing aerial views.
Although Hackman is almost wasted in a role where he is relegated to sitting around looking concerned, Patton's passionate work makes up for it; Costner and Young too.THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in DC, Virginia (Arlington & Alexandria), Maryland (Annapolis) and the Toronto airport.
US Navy Lt. Commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is a Pentagon officer assigned to the personal staff of the scheming Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman).
It is more basically as a thriller drama..But the plot of the movie is great, and surely there are good scripts and suspense!
Overall, if you haven't seen this movie yet, it's a superb thriller, superbly acted with great suspense that will leave on the very edge of your seat till the very last end.
NO WAY OUT (1987) ***1/2 Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, Iman, George Dzundra.
No Way Out is a pleasant exception: realistic and thrilling plot (the beginning is, however, somewhat slow), great actors and a surprising end.Definitely, the best actors here are Gene Hackman and Will Patton.
Female characters look like secondary, although the running events are triggered by a woman.Recommended to those fond of race with time and find out how good an action star Kevin Costner was before his much more known, but slushy movies from the beginning of 1990ies....
After an exceedingly slow introduction (the real story begins after 50 minutes), this turns into a first-rate, suspenseful thriller with a standout performance by Patton (Costner isn't bad, either).
I cannot express in words how much i love this film, it is simply one of the greatest films ever made - and i mean that.In my mind only The Godfather, The Philadelphia Experiment, The Deer Hunter and Twelve Angry Men are better than this filmIt's riveting, it's fast paced, it's supremely acted, and to top it all off it has the by far the best movie twist i have ever seen - even better than the Usual Suspects one.If there is a fault to this movie - than i fail to see it.Gene Hackman as usual is brilliant playing the cold hearted ruthless SOB to a tee, Kevin Costner is also excellent as Farrell but it is Will Patton who steals the show in my opinion with a brilliant portrayal of absolute loyalty.It has a chase - one of the best chases if you ask me.When i first saw the ending to this film i was in shock - i just couldn't believe it - it throws the entire film out of the window.10/10 - Superb.
Right as we start to think, "Whom is he talking to?" (Or "Does he mean Hackman?" if you've read anything about the film), we fall backwards in time and land in the same place some number of months earlier."No Way Out" is a government thriller about an officer wrongly accused of murder--when the Secretary of State himself is the culprit trying to avoid a scandal by launching a top-secret cover-up.
(Get it?) As he runs around the Pentagon and other government establishments, the evidence starts to pile up against him--the negative off the back of a Polaroid camera, a few eyewitnesses who claim they saw a man outside Young's apartment the night of her murder, etc.The great thing about "No Way Out," and another factor that separates it from the rest of its kind, is something that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen the film.
Hackman, Costner, and Patton give great performances, with only Young lagging slightly -- the viewer is never entirely sure what attracted Brice to Susan in the first place.
Based upon the 1948 Ray Milland mystery/thriller "The Big Clock", "No Way Out" is a tense, high-octane film which centres around the pentagon in Washington D.C.Kevin Costner is Navy Commander Tom Farrell, newly recruited to the staff of Defence Secretary David Bryce (Gene Hackman), it is his job to act as liaison between that office and the intelligence community.
By transferring the action from a publishing company in New York to the Pentagon (in Washington) it increases the scope for creating even more conspiracies and double dealing and in some ways also sets the stakes higher.Following an act of heroism at sea, Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is transferred to Washington to undertake duties at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, David Brice (Gene Hackman).
However, it's during the passages where he's at his most energetic and when he feels most trapped that he really excels and it's at these times that his performance is most evocative of Ray Milland's in "The Big Clock".Gene Hackman is faultless as the politician who becomes very insecure because of the trouble he gets into as a result of his inability to control his intense levels of jealousy and anger and Sean Young is entertaining as the mysterious mistress with plenty of attitude.Will Patton provides the movie's most memorable performance as a real all-out villain who's fanatical in his loyalty to Brice and totally ruthless in taking whatever action is necessary to protect his boss."No Way Out" is a very involved story which features murder, espionage and the gross abuse of power.
All out action-packed thriller showcasing what can happen when high leveled people in the government have mistresses.Kevin Costner plays a liaison to the Secretary of Defense, Gene Hackman.
It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young.
Where else does he have to go?"Roger Donaldson's modern spin on No Way Out is dense and stylish.This suspense film has features of the 1940s thrillers but it was terrific and ingenious that a viewer who likes good movies would surely appreciate.In it,we get to see fine performances from stars Gene Hackman and Sean Young.Truly,it was a career-making performance for Kevin Costner as it catapulted him to stardom as he displays some charisma in a twisty, stylish espionage thriller.It was truly a masterpiece in its genre as a film in which a simple situation grows more and more complex and neither of which is contrived nor manipulated..
When a murder takes place he becomes a suspect and it's a race against time until he uncovers the real culprit or the massive computing power at the Department of Defense reconstructs a photo that ties him to the crime.It's a well done 'whodunit' with plenty of twists in the story line, a fine cast with Costner supported by Gene Hackman, a luscious Sean Young and Will Patton.
The story is not all that unique but the very surprising twist at the end makes it all the more interesting, as it's a complete and utter blow to the entire plot.No Way Out is the story of Commander Tom Farrell, a navy man with experience in Naval Intelligence and a desire to work in the Pentagon with the Secretary of Defense.
It's as if they didn't quite know how to end the film or ran out of time and/or money.Costner, Hackman and Young give good performances.
Kevin Costner plays Tom Farrell a Navy Lieutenant Commander who has a fling with Sean Youngs character not realizing that she is the mistress of Defense Secretary David Brice played very well by Gene Hackman.
Costners Character knows that Hackmans character killed Youngs character as the script heads toward the twist ending..