Review of No Way Out (1987) by Evan C — 26 Jan 2004

[i]No Way Out[/i] is a political thriller set in Washington DC, and stars Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman. Made in 1987, I almost had to turn it off right away in the beginning. A scene that has Costner hooking-up with a woman at a party has the most horrible 80?s music you can imagine.

It brought my final rating of the movie down a whole point. They thankfully don?t rely on that type of music anywhere else, and once the murders and cover-ups get rolling, this movie is a very effective thriller.

The acting is quite good and the pacing keeps you into it. The filmmakers wanted their twist ending to blow your mind, but it's almost too convenient. The ending works, but it borderlines on being too contrived.

There are very few minor flaws in this movie, and overall it is very enjoyable and worth seeing. It felt a lot like a combination of two other more recent cover-up movies; Gene Hackman?s [i]Absolute Power[/i], and the recent Denzel Washington movie [i]Out Of Time[/i].

I?m willing to bet these movies were at least partially inspired by [i]No Way Out[/i]. If nothing else, this movie, coupled with [i]The Untouchables[/i], stands out as being half of the one-two-punch in 1987 that made Kevin Costner a superstar.