Max streams Kevin Costner's 1987 neo-noir political thriller No Way Out. Costner plays Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell, a murder suspect in Kenneth Fearing's 1946 novel The Big Clock. The clues don't match his investigation.
The picture mixes political intrigue and gloomy romance. Farrell falls for Secretary Brice's girlfriend, Susan Atwell (Sean Young). Farrell oversees the cover-up inquiry after Brice murders him.
Kenneth Fearing's book has been filmed before. The 1948 film The Big Clock starred Ray Milland and Charles Laughton. Police Python 357, a 1978 French adaptation, followed.
No Way Out is the third adaptation of the novel, directed by Roger Donaldson (Thirteen Days) and written by Robert Garland (The Electric Horseman).
This version included CIA, Soviet Union, and sleeper agent components to the criminal thriller format.
Costner's stunts stand out. He did most of his feats, including rolling over a moving car's hood.
Kevin Costner would improvise his lines and participate in stunts. He asks the limo driver to raise the screen. The other performers, unaware of his plan, gave honest replies that were captured on film.
No Way Out may have launched Kevin Costner's career. Costner only appeared in Silverado and The Untouchables in the 1980s.