No Way Out (1987 film)

No Way Out

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Roger Donaldson
Produced by Robert Garland
Laura Ziskin
Screenplay by Robert Garland
Based on The Big Clock 
by Kenneth Fearing
Starring
Music by Maurice Jarre
Cinematography John Alcott
Edited by William Hoy
Neil Travis
Distributed by Orion Pictures
Release dates
  • August 14, 1987 (1987-08-14)
Running time
 114 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $15 million
Box office $35,509,515

No Way Out is a 1987 thriller film. It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, and Sean Young. Will Patton, Howard Duff, George Dzundza, Jason Bernard, Fred Thompson, and Iman appear in supporting roles.

The film is a remake of 1948's The Big Clock. Both films are based on Kenneth Fearing's 1946 novel The Big Clock. Filming locations included Baltimore, Annapolis, Arlington, Washington, D.C., and Auckland, New Zealand. The film features original music by Academy Award-winning composer Maurice Jarre.

Plot

The film opens with US Navy Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell undergoing questioning by two men in a suburban house. Farrell is asked how he first met Brice. The majority of the story is then told in flashback.

Farrell is invited to an inaugural ball by college friend Scott Pritchard, who intends to introduce him to US Secretary of Defense David Brice. Pritchard, Brice's General Counsel, hopes Brice will transfer Farrell to his staff at the Pentagon. On meeting, Brice is unimpressed with Farrell, virtually ignoring his introduction by Pritchard. While at the ball, Farrell begins flirting with another guest, Susan Atwell. The two begin an affair, although she tells him she is also involved with a married man.

Back aboard his ship, Farrell rescues a crewman about to be washed overboard during a storm. Brice reads a newspaper story about the rescue. Farrell is then transferred to duty at the Pentagon, working on Brice's intelligence staff.

Brice, the other man in Susan's life, arrives at her house after she and Farrell return from a romantic weekend. After she persuades a visibly jealous Farrell to leave through the back door, Susan tells Farrell, "I'm going to leave him. I promise. I love you." Brice sees Farrell leaving but cannot see who he is. Farrell sees Brice standing on the sidewalk outside, under a street lamp. When Susan lets Brice inside, he reveals that he knows of her infidelity. While demanding the name of her lover, Brice kills her in a jealous rage.

Brice calls Pritchard, who comes to Susan's house right away. Brice is ready to turn himself in, telling Pritchard about seeing and being seen by Susan's other lover. Pritchard cleans Susan's house of any sign Brice was there, and discovers the negative side of a Polaroid photograph Susan had taken of Farrell earlier. The negative shows a very poor, unidentifiable image of a person. Pritchard, assuming this is an image of Susan's other lover, persuades Brice to frame the person in the photograph, and concocts a story that Susan's other lover was a suspected but unconfirmed KGB sleeper agent code-named "Yuri."

Brice, not knowing Farrell was in a relationship with Susan, orders him to find and arrest "Yuri", placing him in the position of seeking evidence that could implicate himself. Farrell is told the Washington police have not been informed of Susan's death, and he is assigned CID officers, commanded by Major Donovan, to conduct the investigation under his orders. Meanwhile, Pritchard's concocted story to protect Brice begins to fall apart. He sends two assassins to systematically eliminate everyone who knew of Brice's affair with Susan, beginning with her friends.

Attempts to enhance the photo negative and identify the person in it, while initially unsuccessful, begin to bear fruit due to the work of another old friend of Farrell's, Sam Hesselman. The CID investigation points to "Yuri" working in the Pentagon. Farrell sets about proving Brice was involved with Susan by searching computer files for evidence that Brice gave her a government-registered gift he received from the Moroccan foreign minister. Needing more time, Farrell tells Hesselman about his relationship with Susan, and that he is the person in the photo. He explains that he was not involved in her death, but the entire investigation is a cover-up protecting the person who killed her. He asks Hesselman to slow the work on the photograph if he can.

Donovan brings two witnesses to the Pentagon who can identify "Yuri," having seen him with Susan during her romantic weekend with Farrell. Their description is of an average man, so they are led through the Pentagon in a search to identify him. Needing more help, Farrell tells Hesselman about Susan's relationship with Brice and that Brice killed her. Hesselman helps him find the Moroccan gift registered in the State Department database and initiates a print-out. Thinking Farrell is collapsing under strain, Hesselman calls Pritchard and tells him about Farrell and Susan, Farrell thinking Brice killed her, and him helping Farrell delay the investigation. Pritchard thanks him for his information and shoots him three three times in the chest.

Farrell, who has been hiding from the CID search, returns to Hesseleman's area as the registry print-out appears on the printer. The two assassins arrive at the same time, and chase him through the building. Farrell runs to Brice's office, where Marine Corps guards take the assassins away. Farrell confronts Brice with the gift registry print-out. Donovan comes into the office to tell them that Hesselman has been murdered, which means "Yuri" must be close. After Donovan leaves, Pritchard, in front of Farrell, explains to Brice about Farrell and Susan, saying that if the man in the photo was "Yuri" then Farrell is "Yuri."

Brice makes up a different story, arguing to Farrell that Pritchard, who is gay, was jealous of his relationship with Susan. Brice offers to get Pritchard good lawyers, but accuses him of being "Yuri." A devastated Pritchard commits suicide. Brice tells Donovan the investigation is over and that Pritchard was "Yuri." Moments later, Farrell quietly sends the gift registry evidence implicating Brice to the CIA. As Farrell leaves the Pentagon, the image enhancement of the photograph is completed, positively identifying Farrell.

Farrell drives to a cemetery and, while sitting at Susan's grave, is picked up by several men. The flashback ends back at the house, where it is revealed that Farrell is, in fact, the real "Yuri" and the KGB's mole in the Department of Defense. Aware of Brice's affair, the Kremlin had ordered Farrell to seduce his mistress and gather intelligence from her. Implying that he should have blackmailed Brice instead of exposing him, Farrell's handlers angrily berate him, saying the situation was "poorly handled." Visibly heartbroken by Susan's death, however, Farrell tells his handlers that he is finished being a KGB mole. After he leaves the KGB's safe house, his handler snaps, "He'll return. Where else does he have to go?"

Cast

Release

Box office

The film debuted at number 2 at the box office after Stakeout.[1] The film's budget was an estimated $15 million; its total U.S. gross was over $35 million.[2]

Critical reception

The film was very well received by critics and as of December 4, 2015, holds a 90% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 40 reviews.[3]

Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "truly labyrinthine and ingenious."[4] Richard Schickel of Time 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] 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

  1. ↑ "Stakeout' Ranks No. 1 In Box-Office Sales". The New York Times. September 2, 1987. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  2. ↑ "Box office / business for No Way Out (1987)". IMDb. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "No Way Out". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  4. ↑ Ebert, Roger (August 14, 1987). "No Way Out". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ Schickel, Richard (17 August 1987). "Cinema: Hot Films, Unhappy Endings". Time. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ Thomson, Desson (August 14, 1987). "No Way Out". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2013.

External links

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