No Way Out 1987

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: No Way Out emerges, paradoxically, as a film that is better than it has to be and not as good as it ought to be, but there is skill here, as well as an admirable willingness to try something new. Read more

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune: While the film's behind-the-scenes look into the world of Washington bureaucracy is appealing, the movie is a complete letdown as a thriller, dissolving into implausible silliness. Read more

Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times: No Way Out's greatest prize is Costner, a leading man at last: fiercely good, intelligent, appreciatively sensual in a performance balanced perfectly between action and introspection. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: A thriller that grabs you even before the ironies of its plot kick in is a thriller you don't want to miss. No Way Out is that sort of movie, a thriller that's thrilling throughout. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: A juicy thriller-romance bursting out of the Pentagon's arid corridors. Read more

Vincent Canby, New York Times: It's so effective, in fact, that when it's all over, you might want to sit through the beginning again just to see if the end is justified by the means. I suspect that it is. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: It's the kind of intricately plotted suspense film with juicy secondary parts (Will Patton, George Dzundza, Iman, Howard Duff) that used to be churned out in the 1940s. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A superior example of the genre, a film in which a simple situation grows more and more complex until it turns into a nightmare not only for the hero but also for everyone associated with him. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: 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. Read more

Brian Case, Time Out: A very convincing nightmare, and if Hackman gives too rounded a performance to approach the omniscient evil of Laughton's original, Patton assumes the mantle as Brice's henchman, while Costner confirms his arrival as a star. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: No Way Out is an effective updating and revamping of the 1948 film noir classic The Big Clock. Read more

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: In thriller terms it's close to irresistible and enormously entertaining. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: The film makes such good use of Washington and builds suspense so well that it transcends a plot bordering on ridiculous. Read more