No Way Out (1950)

Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Linda Darnell

Synopsis:
A young black doctor becomes the target of a bigoted hoodlum's revenge when his brother dies in the doctor's care.

Impressions:
Besides getting an Oscar nom for the writing, this film is notable as Sidney Poitier's first major screen role. He delivers the sort of strong performance you'd expect from him, but what really blew me away is Richard Widmark. My first impression of him came from his role as Colonel Lawson in Judgment at Nuremburg, then I saw him as the buffoonish Dauphin in Saint Joan, and now here as the brutally racist Ray Biddle. It's some impressive range and even within the role you get to see quite a few layers to the performance. Though made well before the Civil Rights Era really picked up steam, the movie delivers a pretty hard-hitting look at race relations. You've got your idealists, your realists and the bitter holdouts on either side who don't see anything better. It's a strong film and well worth watching.

Rating:
Watch It