No Way Out

I am convinced (even though I may be wrong) that this picture was made some time ago but was shelved and only released after Kevin Costner became a big(ger) star. The picture is a competent political melodrama, and Costner shows early signs of the appeal later to come into full flower (as in “The Untouchables”, and the as-yet-unseen “Bull Durham”) but the fact is that the picture, while moderately engaging, breaks no new ground. It does generate some suspense, and Sean Young is quite appealing (though the highly touted sex-in-the-limo scene left me somewhat disappointed, voyeur that I am) but by and large it is strictly middling. Decent craftsmanship, but that's about all. Actually, it seems to exist for the sole purpose of supporting its “surprise ending” (which is not enough of a reason for a full-length motion picture to exist) and the ending itself seems like something out of a runner-up for the O'Henry award. Except, of course, those guys are usually better writers.