- No Way Out (1987 film)
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No Way Out 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Roger Donaldson Produced by Robert Garland
Laura ZiskinWritten by Kenneth Fearing (novel The Big Clock)
Robert GarlandStarring Kevin Costner
Gene Hackman
Sean YoungMusic by Maurice Jarre Cinematography John Alcott Editing by William Hoy
Neil TravisDistributed by Orion Pictures Release date(s) 14 August 1987 (USA) Running time 114 min Language English Box office $35,509,515 No Way Out is a 1987 thriller film about a U.S. Naval officer investigating a Washington, D.C. murder. It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young. It is a remake of The Big Clock; both films are based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing.
The supporting cast includes Will Patton, Howard Duff, George Dzundza, Jason Bernard, Fred Thompson and Iman.
In addition to the Orion Pictures Corporation studio, filming locations were Annapolis, Maryland; Arlington, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as Auckland, New Zealand.
The film features original music by the Academy Award-winning Maurice Jarre.
Contents
Plot
At a ball, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) meets a young woman, Susan Atwell (Sean Young), and the two immediately begin an affair, although Atwell is involved with someone else.
During his next Naval deployment, Farrell rescues a fellow sailor during a storm and becomes a hero. He is brought back to Washington to work at the Pentagon for Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman) on the recommendation of his General Counsel Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), an old friend of Farrell's. Brice, determined to cancel a boondoggle Navy project that has powerful political backing, decides that Farrell should act as his direct liaison to the CIA to gather information about whether the Soviets really are working on a similar project.
Soon after, Farrell finds out that the other man in Susan's life is Secretary Brice, who in turn learns of Susan's infidelity. While demanding the name of her new lover, he slaps Susan in a jealous rage, knocking her off an indoor balcony to her death. Ready to turn himself in, Brice is persuaded by Pritchard to cover up everything and blame it on someone else. They concoct a story that Susan's other lover was in fact a long-suspected but never confirmed KGB sleeper agent code-named "Yuri." In the aftermath, they focus all attention on an attempt to capture him.
Confident that "Yuri" doesn't exist, CIA director Marshall (Fred Dalton Thompson) dismisses the possibility of Pritchard having an affair with Susan, saying that Pritchard is homosexual. Brice appoints Farrell to lead the investigation to find Susan's other lover, placing him in the position of attempting to find evidence that could implicate himself.
The only forensic evidence in the case is a discarded Polaroid negative recovered from Susan's house, which requires lengthy computer processing to become visible. Farrell pleads with systems analyst and old friend Sam Hesselman to slow down the processing, and tells him about Susan and Brice. Meanwhile, Farrell sets about proving Brice was involved with Susan by searching computer files for evidence that Brice gave Susan a government-registered gift he had previously received from Morocco.
Pritchard harasses Nina Beka, a close friend of Susan's, by threatening deportation back to South Africa, then sends covert assassins to kill her, but Farrell rescues her just in time. A suspicious Sam goes to Pritchard with concerns about what Farrell told him. Realizing that Sam can implicate Brice, Pritchard shoots and kills him.
Farrell obtains the printout before the picture implicating him becomes visible and presents it to Brice, who then shifts the blame to Pritchard, arguing that Pritchard was jealous of his relationship with Susan. A devastated Pritchard commits suicideand is falsely exposed as "Yuri" to the police by Brice, hoping to escape blame for Susan's death, and Farrell, who is finally able to leave the Pentagon free of suspicion.
As Farrell sits beside Susan's grave, two plainclothes men arrive and take him away for questioning. One of the interrogators is Farrell's landlord, who addresses Farrell in Russian. Farrell, who responds in kind is, in fact, the real "Yuri" and his landlord is his KGB supervisor. Yuri/Farrell was planted in the U.S. as a teenager and became the KGB's "mole" in the Department of Defense. Aware of Brice's affair, the Russians assigned Farrell to seduce the Secretary of Defense's mistress and gather intelligence from her.
Although his handlers demand that he return to the Soviet Union, Farrell refuses and leaves as his handler quips, "He'll be back. Where else does he have to go?"
Cast
- Kevin Costner as LCDR Tom Farrell, USN / Yuri, Soviet spy
- Gene Hackman as Secretary of Defense David Brice
- Will Patton as Scott Pritchard
- Sean Young as Susan Atwell
- George Dzundza as Sam Hesselman
- Howard Duff as Senator Duvall
- Jason Bernard as Major Donovan, CID
- Fred Dalton Thompson as CIA Director Marshall
- Iman as Nina Beka
Box office
The film debuted at No.2 at the box office after Stakeout. Other films in wide release at the time were The Fourth Protocol, Dirty Dancing and Hamburger Hill.[1] The film's budget was an estimated $15 million dollars US; its total US gross was over $35 million US[2].
Reception
The film was very well received by movie critics and currently holds a 96% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, albeit with an audience rating of only 66% (the proportion of RT users who rate the film 3.5 stars or higher)[3]. Roger Ebert called the film "truly labyrinthine and ingenious" and awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars.[4] Nevertheless, Richard Schickel of Time Magazine wrote, "Viewers who arrive at the movie five minutes late and leave five minutes early will avoid the setup and payoff for the preposterous twist that spoils this lively, intelligent remake of 1948's The Big Clock."[5] And Desson Thomson of the Washington Post wrote, "The film makes such good use of Washington and builds suspense so well that it transcends a plot bordering on ridiculous."[6]
References
- ^ "Stakeout' Ranks No. 1 In Box-Office Sales". The New York Times. September 2, 1987. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/02/movies/stakeout-ranks-no-1-in-box-office-sales.html. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093640/business
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1015218-no_way_out
- ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19870814/REVIEWS/708140302
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,965232,00.html
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/nowayoutrhowe_a0b0e0.htm
External links
Films directed by Roger Donaldson 1970s Sleeping Dogs (1977)1980s Nutcase (1980) · Smash Palace (1981) · The Bounty (1984) · Marie (1985) · No Way Out (1987) · Cocktail (1988)1990s Cadillac Man (1990) · White Sands (1992) · The Getaway (1994) · Species (1995) · Dante's Peak (1997)2000s 2010s Seeking Justice (2011)
Categories:- English-language films
- 1987 films
- 1980s thriller films
- Political thriller films
- Psychological thriller films
- Film remakes
- Films based on mystery novels
- Films shot in Virginia
- Films set in Washington, D.C.
- Films shot in Washington, D.C.
- Orion Pictures films
- Films directed by Roger Donaldson
- Cold War spy films
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