As political thrillers go, "No Way Out" is right up there, surprising in its lasting effectiveness. Put simply, it holds up, and if you can abide the unfortunate score, then you're in for something pretty cool. Costner proves his leading man capabilities and the whole cast is good (it even features an uncharacteristically emotive Will Patton). I guess it's a good rule of thumb that if you need a corrupt politician, you can't go wrong with Gene Hackman. Hackman's reliable in just about any role, but even more so here.
Without spoiling anything, this has a really memorable ending; the kind that just sorta sneaks up behind you and punches you in the mouth. But even knowing what ultimately happens in this story, I still got caught up in the main espionage plot: Costner trying to outsmart a frameup as the walls close in; almost enough to make me forget the final twist. That says a lot about the craft behind such a movie.
7/10
Without spoiling anything, this has a really memorable ending; the kind that just sorta sneaks up behind you and punches you in the mouth. But even knowing what ultimately happens in this story, I still got caught up in the main espionage plot: Costner trying to outsmart a frameup as the walls close in; almost enough to make me forget the final twist. That says a lot about the craft behind such a movie.
7/10