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No Way Out
In No Way Out, director Roger Donaldson does an admirable job of channeling the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock. This 1987 suspense-thriller closely adheres to the typical Hitchcockian storyline of an innocent man forced to clear his name after being falsely accused of a crime, and Donaldson's confident direction mimics Hitchcock's in another important aspect as well — he infuses his tale with enough energy and action that viewers may literally find themselves squirming nervously in their seats, anxious to see what will happen next. Kevin Costner turns in a strong performance as naval commander Tom Farrell, the unfortunate scapegoat in a scandal involving the murdered mistress (Sean Young) of a high-ranking politician (an excellent Gene Hackman). The excitement builds through a number of tense chase scenes, culminating in a startling surprise-ending which, like The Sixth Sense and Fight Club, invites the audience to watch the film over and over to make sure everything fits together properly. MGM's DVD edition of No Way Out includes widescreen (1.85:1) and pan-and-scan transfers on opposite sides of the disc. Although slim on special features (a theatrical trailer is included, but not much else), No Way Out nonetheless makes a fine addition to the DVD collection of any espionage fan. Keep-case.
—Joe Barlow
