No Way Out

A solid thriller. Costner and Hackman on good form. The tension is skilfully ratcheted up, particularly after the slow-ish start (the first third of the movie establishes the groundwork but isn't that interesting in itself). The twists and turns are neatly handled and the plot sticks to the landing without losing itself to excessive silliness. Good stuff!

But that scene where Costner and Sean Young get it off in the back of the car to the smooth sounds of an 80's power ballad is amongst the most horrifically cliched 80's sex scenes you'll ever see in a movie. Just when it can't get any worse: the saxophone comes in! Thankfully it doesn't hijack the rest of the movie.

Wow, as good as this was and it was only slightly above good, the ending I DID NOT SEE COMING FROM 50 MILES AWAY sold me all the way to a solid 8/10 stars.

Never saw this before tonight, but I've known of it since it came out. Probably never seen it because for the longest time I couldn't stand Kevin Costner. Then he made Dances with Wolves and I loved him. Then he made Waterworld and The Postman Back to Back, so I didn't like him again.

But, then I opened my eyes. Noticed him in so many other movies where he was basically perfect and I've been a Costner fan ever since. No way out of this last bond.

So, tonight, while looking for a political thriller - hopefully slow burn, I came across this title in my research. With the HIGH recommendation I found, plus Costner and an all-star cast of the late 80s, I watched it. I knew the basic-basic plot and began, subconsciously looking for clues as I'm accustomed to these late 80s thrillers.

Costner's high-ranking Naval Officer is having a relationship with Sean Young who also happens to be dating his newest boss, The Secretary of Defense. Easy peasy, but muddy. And then, bam, a wrench/twist is thrown in and Costner has to work with/around a coverup even though he might be a suspect, himself.

And that's like 40% of the story. Watch for the rest.

I was rewarded with what I needed: a slow-burn, political thriller. This is 100% that, until the inevitable and messy climax that 100% elevates this above expectations. Sorry I didn't see this sooner, but glad I finally did.

***

Final thoughts: #1 boy, I'm glad I changed my mind to Costner. He is one incredible, thoughtful and brilliant actor. #2, unrelated, half-way thru I wondered if Hackman is still alive. Fair question, he's been out of the spotlight for a while. He is, and also 90. 90! Sadly, Sean Connery JUST died yesterday, and he was 90. I know it's 2020 and aside from a possible positive that comes out of the November 3rd election in 2 days, nothing else comes out of 2020 safe. Here's to your health, Mr. Luthor!

No Way Out is a political thriller about a man who is hired to work for the Secretary of Defense, but he finds himself in a sticky situation that could lead to him being accused of treason and subsequently being killed. I do enjoy tense thrillers where the hero is stuck in a difficult position and has to continuously avoid being caught. They constantly keep you on your toes, and I love those moments where you don't know what he can do next. There were several times that I felt his way of stalling the inevitable in this film was a bit cheesy and unrealistic, but within the logic of the film it worked well enough. For the sake of avoiding spoilers I won't delve into how much more the logic breaks down by the end, but needless to say this isn't exactly the smartest movie I've ever seen, but that didn't stop the thrilling aspects from being fun to watch.

What was less fun to watch was about the first 30 minutes or more of the film. This movie takes its time in setting things up, and exploring the romance between Kevin Costner and Sean Young. This kind of graphic detail isn't necessary for me, and I was starting to wonder if I was watching the right movie since it felt more like a romantic drama. There are certainly moments throughout all this courting that are important because they come back as things that might reveal the truth about Costner, but I didn't need the amount of time they spent detailing the romance just for those few small pieces of information. Once the inciting incident occurred, and the actual story got rolling, I had some good fun with No Way Out, I only wish they got us there sooner. No Way Out is still a decent movie, and one I might watch again to see how the story is changed by knowing how it ends.

It takes quite a while to get going and the film is firmly rooted in the 80s, not just from a storyline perspective, but also in terms of its production. The only meaningful female role is poorly developed, although Young does her best with what she has and the relationship between her and Costner feels forced. The score is also dreadful. But once the main plot kicks in, this becomes an intriguing conspiracy thriller as Costner attempts to stay one step ahead of the investigation he is heading. Hackman is surprisingly low-key here, but Will Patton as his right-hand man and Costner's main antagonist is good value. It is also a film that is defined by its great ending, a scene that is surprisingly low-key in its delivery, but works extremely well in the context of the overall film. It's a shame that repeat viewings don't really offer much to reevaluate characters and plot points as a result but it still makes for a clever resolution.

No Way Out is a suspense movie set during the cold war. Political intrigue within the US government is the focus of the film. The politically powerful Brice accidentally kills his mistress. Things get out of hand and he decides to frame her other lover as a spy. He knows that she is seeing someone else but has no idea who. Farrel, her other lover, is the man assigned to her case. He realizes that the investigation will eventually expose him, and when the investigators begin using a computer to restore a partially developed polaroid of Farrel found in the dead girlÕs things he has a good idea of how much time he has. There are some tense moments as Farrel trys to expose Brice before he is caught. Also there are a string of neat twists at the end, which succeed in not being corny.

This is worth your time. I definitely recommend it for fans of military suspense or cold war movies.