No Way Out

"Is it a question... or an answer?"

1950 1h 46m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 111

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two hoodlum brothers are brought into hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one dies, the other accuses their Black doctor of murder.

“Is it a question... or an answer?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Richard Widmark
Ray Biddle
Linda Darnell
Edie Johnson
Sidney Poitier
Luther Brooks
Stephen McNally
Dan Wharton
Mildred Joanne Smith
Cora Brooks
Harry Bellaver
George Biddle
Stanley Ridges
Sam Moreland
Dots Johnson
Lefty Jones

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Lesser Samuels
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Milton Krasner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Richard Widmark and Linda Darnell and Sidney Poitier carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Is it a question... or an answer?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042792 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs. Milton Krasner behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Barbara McLean cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

176 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Milton Krasner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Richard Widmark and Linda Darnell and Sidney Poitier carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Is it a question... or an answer?".
7IMDB entry: tt0042792 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Milton Krasner
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Barbara McLean
Costume design: Travilla
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Box office: $1,300,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: No Way Out (1950)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-01-11
★ 7/10
Talk about biting the hand that would feed you! Two petty thieves end up in hospital after a robbery went wrong. “Ray” (Richard Widmark) is an angry and odious character who refuses to let the duty doctor “Brooks” (Sydney Poitier) anywhere near his injured brother. His protestations are ignored, but when the patient dies his brother begins to make all sorts of vile racist assertions against the doctor. These noises are soon being heard on the streets, and with racial tensions already running high the situation becomes dangerous for the doctor, his family, his hospital and amidst a community at large just itching for a brawl. Central to this toxicity is “Edie” (Linda Darnell). She was formerly married to the deceased man and although she’s not quite a card-carrying member of the KKK, she is still fairly bigoted and is inclined to support the allegations of “Ray”. However, as she sees the brutality unfold might she realise that she is wrong, that “Ray” is wrong and that she might be the only one who can help - especially when “Ray” escapes and sets off on his own path of vengeance. Widmark wasn’t always the most engaging of actors, indeed he could be downright wooden at times, but here there is something viscerally unpleasant about his characterisation and he commits himself completely to depicting an ignorant man convincingly. Darnell is also on great form as a troubled soul for whom it is quite difficult to have sympathy at the start, but whose performance rather effectively epitomises struggles across America with matters of racism, mental illness and to an extent, sexism too. Poitier’s character isn’t so very well developed, but he still manages to bring a professional dignity to his role, especially towards the conclusion, and all in all this is a thought-provoking film that even manages to evoke a little pity, too.

Production companies