Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

romanorum1 US Navy Lt. Commander Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is a Pentagon officer assigned to the personal staff of the scheming Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman). At a formal ball in Washington DC, Farrell is first introduced to Brice through the latter's fanatically devoted general council, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton). Exhibiting the most suggestive body language at the ball, sexy Susan Atwell (Sean Young) also meets Farrell. As their chemistry immediately clicks, they have a quick tryst; the sex scene in the limo is fairly noteworthy. Although Atwell is the mistress of the married Brice, her affair with Farrell continues for several months. Meanwhile Brice has as a chief rival, Senator Duvall (Howard Duff), who wants the Secretary of Defense to approve of the "Phantom Submarine," which is the size of an aircraft carrier. Brice is against the proposed project because the sub's huge size will make it easy for the Soviet Russian enemy to detect. Knowing that his lover has been with another man, Brice confronts her in the apartment that he has paid for her. In a jealous rage he strikes her so hard that she falls backward over the balcony railing, striking the lower level and breaking her neck. In a panic, Brice calls his devoted servant Pritchard, who masterminds a plan to protect his boss from scandal and pin the crime on someone else. Pritchard's plan is to search for a supposed mole in the Defense Department: a Russian spy sent by the Soviet KGB to America while young and who can pass as a real American. His code name is "Yuri." Pritchard's stratagem is to blame Atwell's death on this fictional lover "Yuri" and thus deflect attention away from the Secretary of Defense. Of course it was Farrell who had just left Atwell's apartment before Brice arrived and killed her. Farrell knows the killer has to be Brice. As Pritchard needs a front man, navy officer Farrell, who performed a heroic act at sea, is chosen. While the CID (Criminal Investigation Division of Army Intelligence) removes items from Atwell's apartment, Farrell is somewhat suspicious as he is ordered to report only to Brice or Pritchard, and to avoid the FBI, CIA, or the Washington Police. In a short time Farrell will realize that the criminal investigation will lead to him as the fall guy. The clues, though untainted, are all stacked against him!Kevin O'Brien (Leon Russom) of the FBI is suspicious, though, of the motives of the Brice team. When an associate says that Atwell was the mistress of either Brice or Pritchard, O'Brien retorts, "Pritchard is homosexual!" Then Senator Duvall comes into Brice's office to do business on his pet project, the proposed submarine. Pritchard makes a vague promise to him, to get him away. Meanwhile Farrell is convinced of the cover-up. He says to Pritchard that even if "Yuri" exists, he did not murder Atwell! Farrell tries to quit the investigation but is without success. In the denouement, the Brice team has brought two witnesses into the Pentagon building. So, as the workers begin to leave their jobs for the day, all of the exits are sealed except for the main one. The witnesses are on the watch for "Yuri." Once the building has emptied out, it's floor to floor, and room to room. How can Farrell escape? At the very end there is a huge twist that you will not see coming! Although it is a military setting, "No Way Out" owes much to "The Big Clock" (1948), where magazine journalist Ray Milland is framed by powerful publishing tycoon Charles Laughton for the murder of the latter's mistress. Laughton, like Hackman's Brice, doesn't really know the identity of the innocent man that he is framing. Milland, like Costner, is picked to lead an investigation against himself. The actors all do well in "No Way Out," with Costner and Patton taking the top honors with their electrifying performances. Filming locations were in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. See this movie because it's a good one!

abenr The source of "No Way Out" is the 1947 "The Big Clock." "The Big Clock" has no computers, no chases, no final twist, but is so much better than the remake based on it. What it has is an understandable plot, excellent acting by Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, and an unforgettable humorous cameo by Elsa Lancaster. Don't miss "The Big Clock" if it comes your way, but "No Way Out" is worth watching on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

jbenante-388-963917 There is very little I can add to the very good reviews posted by others here over the years. I first saw this movie shortly after it came out, and I've watched it again periodically since.What surprises me are the reviews that state that the ending is "contrived" or doesn't connect with the main plot, or whatever. I don't get these criticisms. The ending is what makes the entire movie.Today, with all the news about hacking by the Russians in the recent election, this movie seems relevant again, even though the Soviet Union no longer exists. The constant threat posed by "Yuri" throughout the movie should resonate well with today's viewers.

Bob Jim I'll make it short because I don't want to spoil to anyone- This movie is excellent. While the cinematography might not be that special, the plot is mind-blowing. And so are the characters. Each character is very unique and you can see it in the film- While the MC {Main character} is quite the generic-good-guy (Which is unique to the environment he's in, so it's not THAT generic), everyone else around him are special in their tone and behavior and even their looks. Now, the plot is also very good. Even amazingly good. Spoiler free- The MC is a commander in the navy who is recruited to the pentagon, and he dates the senators mistress. (No spoilers thus far. It's the beginning plot). You might think it's a weird drama flick- But hell no! It's a very engaging thriller with an amazing ending!I recommend it very much! The beginning might bore you, but it will just make the ending more amazing.