User reviews

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. Sean Young is the tragic figure who falls for Costner and sets in motion the wheels that make this picture one of the best of its type. 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. Will Patton and George Dzunda are solid in support of the leads although Patton is a bit over the top as Hackman's attack dog. This fine film is marred by an ending that doesn't connect with the film's plot or pulse and gives the picture an awkward, unsatisfying conclusion. Costner is the hero but it is Hackman who makes this picture as good as it is.

The last quarter drags on a little too long, and the characters and their decisions often seem unrealistically erratic, but it all comes together in the end. I was surprised this movie was able to pay off so well. The finale comes out of nowhere, but it provides the plot and main character some depth.

Music is corny though. Some of it sounds like it was made for a bad '80s TV show. That's my lone complaint.

"No Way Out" is one of the most original, suspenseful, tightly-knit thrillers ever made, comparable to John Frankenheimer's "Seven Days in May". 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. Costner is commanded to oversee the operation, and the action begins...and is sustained with the intensity of a race on the Autobahn. The amazing all-star cast also features Will Patton, George Dzunda, Iman and David Paymer. Costner delivers what is perhaps his most subtle performance. What distinguishes "No Way Out" is its brilliant plotting, tautness, and constant surprises...with the ending being the most deliriously mind-blowing surprise of all.

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.

There are only a fistful movies I gave 9 points. This is one them. After watching it I immediately had an itch to watch a sequel (regrettably impossible due to the story line). Didn't actually want it to stop and was sad that it ended. (True for just a few other movies, like for example Dr. Zhivago or 12 Monkeys) When I checked the IMDb - rating composition to find out why this movie is so grotesquely underrated, I asserted that the IMDb Staff gave 8 points, anyway. (Phew!) One of the very few US-thrillers, the end of which I wasn't able to predict. Gene Hackman and Kevin Costner are habitually brilliant, Will Patton deserves an Oscar as the best supporting actor in my book.

Try watching this one without the first and last scenes. It's like they didn't give Kostner that part of the script until he finished the rest of the movie. The result is fine if you have no memory, but if you should dare to think about what you've seen, you find one huge and unacceptable flaw: The character you see acted is not the one the movie wants you to take with you when you go.

It isn't so much that the big surprise isn't fun, it's that there's too much good acting before this huge surprise happens to let you accept the humongous surprise as anything but an effort to con the audience into thinking they've seen a smart movie. Alas, it isn't a smart movie, it's a pretty good movie with a stupid device.

I'm reminded of the efforts to save a movie by inserting a narrator. Here it seems to me they've tried to goose up a pretty good movie by using a big surprise. It's a cheat.

For most of it's time "No way out" is a conventional and good thriller . The movie proceeds as expected . Still , the more you watch the movie the more your are dragged into the story . Roger Donaldson certainly directs it with confidence . In the end , when the last half of hour comes you will be rewarded by the story . There is both adrenaline and shock for you there.

Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman deliver what you could expect from them. Costner is quite wooden , but tolerable . Hackman is good . If you seen him in "Absolute power" you won't be surprised by his performance here. George Dzundza gives a memorable performance as a scientist on a wheelchair.

Two persons steal the show . Sean Young hasn't got too much screen time, yet she fills the movie with energy and vulnerability when she's on screen. Will Patton gives the best performance of the movie as a man dedicated to Hackman . He's two-faced , cold , cynical and ruthless. A nomination for Oscar would do him justice.

I give it 7/10 . Watch it . You won't regret it . The final is worth watching itself. Mind blowing.

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!

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.

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. There are too many flaws, to many unanswered questions, too many inconsistencies... The premise in itself would have been acceptable, but everything else seems to have been inserted without any thought, without any prior research, even without common sense in my opinion. The resulting situations are sometimes even funny, bordering on the grotesque, which definitely cannot be considered as a plus for a thriller which appears to take itself seriously. And then there is the ending... (no comment)

All in all, a below average movie.

A naval officer becomes a hero after rescuing his ship crew from a whirlpool in Atlantic. By means of his international intelligence service experience -which is hidden in story until the ending- he's hired by a job in Pentagon to work as an assistant of National Defense minister. Through KGB connections the defence ministry gives him a top secret mission to exterminate a CIA funding operation called The Phantom Submarine, but to let the media know what's going on, his heroic rescue is being shown to cloak the facts with KGB.

Though it's a remake of Yves Montand's Police Python and John Farrow's The Big Clock, this film offers couple surprises and endless suspense. Compare it with the best movies of 1987, Timothy Dalton's James Bond flick "The Living Daylights" or Charlie Sheen's "Wall Street" is not offering you anything as a surprising and twisted story. No Way Out possesses a sense of film noir from the post-modern world war-II era. For me in every aspect No Way Out comes before its comparisons if the consideration is onto plot, story, thriller, suspense.

Those were the factors what makes No Way Out favoured and likable. 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. It doesn't have an effective drama plot or no good sub-plots. The only purpose is to sell more tickets. It has all the necessities for a populist production, but doesn't reflect any messages, it doesn't tell nothing to the viewer. Things happen and we watch it with excitement, wondering what's gonna happen next, that's all. The filming and directing dexterity as a whole production is what the main problem is. No wonder why no awards for this movie.

Considering Redford & Dunaway's "Three Days of The Condor(1975)", I expected to see better intelligence bureau movies in 1980s and 1990s. But not until 21st century you come across another good governmental crime. After the death of the leading actress in the film, the romance segment ends off, then we're stuck in the Pentagon, watching things happening between CIA, NSA and KGB all trying to give an end to a scandal before it rises. 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. Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman together enhances the viewing quality. One of the best movies of Kevin Costner, and includes some memorable moments of him with his female cast-mate. Just for its moments of romance its better than Top Gun. Remember Top Gun was half-a-romance movie, this was even one-third in length. 1980s was the generation when all the women in the world dreamt and fantasized of MEN IN UNIFORM.

Watching "No Way Out" is like reading a dime store pulp novel: it doesn't really amount to much in the end, but there are twists and turns aplenty to keep you interested and engaged. Fortunately, a wonderful cast helps this pulpy thriller remain somewhat memorable in the annals of film.

For a very basic overview, "No Way Out" tells the story of Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner), a naval officer who is romancing Susan Atwell (Sean Young). The problem? Tom's boss--Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman)--is also "involved" with Ms. Atwell and responsible for her death. This sets off a cat-and-mouse coverup scheme as Farrell and Brice both try to resolve the situation.

As previously mentioned, there are quite a few plot machinations that get thrown at "No Way Out" viewers. If they are all truly scrutinized, they don't hold up to much--if any--logic. As such, this film was never going to be any sort of all-time classic. That being said, there are three aspects that director Roger Donaldson and writers Kenneth Fearing & Robert Garland have going for them here...

First, the combination of Costner (in between his Bull Durham & Field of Dreams roles), Hoosiers-era Hackman, and an almost impossibly young Will Patton could make just about anything watchable. The chemistry between those three stalwarts (plus a vivacious Young) alone is worth the price of admission.

Secondly, "No Way Out" is sort of a "ticking clock" of suspense and tension. It seems as if everything is a race to grab some piece of information or individual before someone else gets to him/her, which makes it so that the proceedings are never dull or bland. It also features technology that, while laughably out-of-date now, was cutting edge in the late-80s.

Finally, a whopper of a surprise ending is completely and utterly ludicrous, yet so out-of-left-field that it actually works well amidst all the other pulp in "No Way Out". One of those situations where you sort of know the ending is ridiculous, yet it doesn't rankle because that is largely the name of the game all the way through.

Overall, watching "No Way Out" is a bit of a wild experience no matter how you slice it. I'd never give it a cent over 7/10 stars, but if you can turn the plot-based, analytical part of your brain off and just ride the rollercoaster--while enjoying some actors at the top or beginning of their games--it can be enjoyed.

The music was truly awful- typical 80s electronic trash, which immediately dates the film. I love movie music but this surely could have been done so much better. Shame, really, because it wasn't too bad a movie!

Sex, murder, mystery, politics—No Way Out has it all! If you like edge-of-your-seat thrillers, don't let the 80s release date fool you. This could have been released last week; it's that exciting!

Kevin Costner has a great job at the Pentagon, working directly under the Secretary of Defense, Gene Hackman. When he starts seeing an alluring young woman, he thinks he's on top of the world. What he doesn't know is that his new girlfriend is also his boss's mistress!

This is a fast-paced, intense thriller with a hot romance, exciting action scenes, and twists and turns in nearly every scene. If you like thrillers, you'll love this! Check it out during your next movie night; in the right circumstances, it could even be a good date movie.

The plot is what stands out here. The title describes it. The character is put in a "No Way Out" situation, and for the last hour the viewer gets to watch him scramble for a way out while the trap slowly closes in. It is very well done. The scenes that stand out for me are the one in which the protagonist discovers the snare he is in, and the final revelation. There are spots in which the pacing lags a bit, and 2 or 3 plot points that stretch credibility. The overall product is very strong. This was a fun one to watch.

I've just hauled this off the shelf and watched it for the umpteenth time. Flawed though it is, I love it. The controversy amid reviewers is surprising to me; but perhaps I don't watch sufficient "thrillers" to have a list of expectations--which several folks seem to have found unfulfilled.

Spoilers: "No Way Out" is composed of one surprise after another...a series of surprises, if you will. From learning that Tom and Susan's original meeting was contrived by others to the shock of her murder, to the reappearance of the forgotten Polaroid negative, to the murder of the IT man and the final scene, with its suspense-filled last scene, I--as a repeat viewer--was constantly aware of Tom's reaction to every incident in the light of what the ending revealed to us....as well as what it did not. The last line, "let him go. He'll be back. He has nowhere else to go" is so poignant.

This is very early Costner. The work of a business administration major who suddenly decided he wanted to act. The subtleties in what I understand was only his second performance are astonishing. If you didn't like it, forget it. but if you did, I strongly recommend watching it at least three times.

Transplanting the plot of 1947's 'The Big Clock' from its newspaper setting to the netherworld of Washington politics was a good idea, but for all its nerve-wracking paranoia the remake isn't half as entertaining as the original. Kevin Costner (rarely out of his glistening white uniform) portrays a Pentagon naval officer assigned by the Secretary of Defense to investigate the murder of the Secretary's mistress (who was Costner's lover as well), and complications arise after the bewildered officer begins to find all the evidence pointing to himself as the primary suspect. It's all an elaborate frame-up, of course, but because the true identity of the killer is never in question the film has to rely instead on routine (and often gratuitous) doses of violence and sex to hold the viewer's interest (and bring the story up to date from its original 1947 setting). Costner plays a refreshingly fallible hero, and the government corruption sub-plot is certainly topical, but the illogical and unnecessary epilogue comes close to spoiling the rest of the film, by adding one plot twist too many to an already cluttered scenario.