No Way Out
(1950)

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Key Cast: Sidney Poitier, Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, Mildred Joanne Smith, Harry Bellaver, Stanley Ridges, Dots Johnson, Amanda Randolph, Bill Walker, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis

Rating: Not Rated

Genre(s): Drama

"No Way Out" is an intense drama about racial hatred.  It was a pioneering film for its time because the movie openly and harshly confronted the realities of racial bigotry.

When a white patient in a hospital dies under the care of a black intern, Dr. Luther Brooks (Sidney Poitier), the victim’s racist brother, Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark) believes that black doctor is to blame.  

Ray Biddle is so full of racial hatred that he decides to seek revenge by stirring up an attack on Black residents of the town. Word leaks out about the attack and the Black residents decide to arm themselves, too.

The victim’s wife (Linda Darnell) seems to go along with the vengeance seeker – until she realizes that she’s on the wrong side for all the wrong reasons.

∙  No Way Out was the first film that Sidney Poitier starred in.  He was only 22 years old at the time.

∙  Richard Widmark was so uncomfortable with the racist remarks that his character made to Sidney Poitier that he kept apologizing to him after scene takes.

∙  This was the screen debut for Ossie Davis and the first on-screen pairing of Ossie Davis and his wife Ruby Dee.  They play the uncredited roles of John Brooks and Connie Brooks.

∙  Nominated for a 1950 Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.

Buy the No Way Out Movie DVD
"No Way Out" stars Sidney Poitier in
his first movie.

It was also the first movie that Ossie
Davis and Ruby Dee performed in
together.

 
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No Way Out Movie Poster
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