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No Way Out (1950)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 11/15

11/15: Let's get two things out of the way about the 1950 version of No Way Out:

1. It bears no resemblance to the picture with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman.
2. It's not film noir.

Although Sidney Poitier, who's 22 years old in his feature film debut, is fine, it's Richard Widmark who steals the show, reminding me of his performance as Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death. Effective, chilling, and convincing, he plays his villainous, racist character to perfection, using every trick in the book to make everybody loathe him. It absolutely works.

Although Joseph L. Mankiewicz's screenplay is well-written, the style reminds me too much of Fritz Lang's pictures. At least, it's better and less corny this time. On the other hand, Linda Darnell, who plays the deceased Johnny Biddell's wife, makes it worse by being granted too much screen time to turn in a melodramatic performance.

All in all, No Way Out is a nice medical drama vehicle for Sidney Poitier, but it should be seen mainly for Richard Widmark's show-stealing performance.

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