No Way Out
Sidney Poitier is making his feature film debut as Dr. Luther Brooks, the first African-American doctor at the nonspecific urban county hospital where he trained. Brooks sometimes lacks confidence in…
No Way Out
Sidney Poitier is making his feature film debut as Dr. Luther Brooks, the first African-American doctor at the nonspecific urban county hospital where he trained. Brooks sometimes lacks confidence in his own skills, but he's got the confidence of his mentor, Dr. Dan Wharton, played by Stephen McNally. On his first night, Brooks is assigned to the hospital's prison ward when Johnny and Ray Biddle, brothers who were each shot in the leg while attempting a robbery, are brought in for treatment. A police officer explains how they were captured, and between that and Ray's description of what happened, Brooks is a little worried about Johnny's symptoms. Ray, who is a huge racist played by Richard Widmark, hammers Luther with racist slurs while he tries to treat the both of them. Brooks is concerned that Johnny has a brain tumor, so he administers a spinal tap, but Johnny dies during the procedure. Ray, who believes that Johnny was only suffering from a gunshot to the leg, accuses Luther of killing him, and promises revenge. Shortly thereafter, Brooks consults with Wharton, who believes Luther followed the right course of treatment, but concedes the diagnosis may have been incorrect, and the only way to know for sure is through an autopsy. Unfortunately, they're not in a jurisdiction where autopsies are mandatory except under specific circumstances; doctors need to get the consent of the family. And of course Ray refuses to consent because he does not want his brother's body "cut up". Dr. Sam Moreland, the head of the hospital played by Stanley Ridges, also denies the autopsy request, because he fears that a scandal involving their only black doctor could endanger funding. Brooks and Wharton discover that Johnny is married, so they visit his widow, Edie Johnson, to get her to consent to the autopsy. Edie, played by Linda Darnell, grew up with the Biddles in Beaver Canal, the city's poor, white district, where racism is baked into the culture. Edie, it turns out, is divorced from Johnny and can't give consent. And while she refuses to help them at first, she later visits Ray in the prison ward to ask why he won't approve the autopsy. Ray tells her that Johnny would still be alive if he'd been treated by a white doctor, and that Wharton and Luther only want the autopsy so they can cover up the truth about Johnny's death. Ray convinces Edie that the doctors are attempting to play her for a "chump", and that she should tell Beaver Canal club owner Rocky Miller about the circumstances surrounding Johnny's death. Accompanied by Ray's deaf-mute other brother George, played by Harry Bellaver, Edie does this, and Rocky and his pals plan to attack the black section of town. Brooks, speaking with a black elevator operator named "Lefty", learns that the black community has heard about the pending attack and is planning to strike first. When Brooks tries to dissuade him, Lefty, who's played by Dols Johnson, reminds him of past assaults on the black community, and asks, "Ain't it asking a lot for us to be better than them when we get killed just trying to prove we're as good?" We get a scene depicting both groups preparing for the riot, and it's clear that it's going to be very ugly. The blacks manage to succeed in their attempt to take the riot to Beaver Canal and surprise the whites, and it's a definite melee. Brooks is in the prison ward when he gets a call to head down to the Emergency Ward because riot victims are coming in. He tends to everyone he encounters until a white woman orders him to take his "black hands" off her son and spits in his face. Brooks is stunned for a minute and then just walks out of the hospital. Out of guilt at what her actions have caused, Edie visits Wharton's home, where she befriends his black maid, Gladys, though it's not without some race-based suspicion at first. The next morning Brooks' wife Connie, played by an uncredited Ruby Dee, comes to the house as well. She tells Wharton, Gladys, and Edie that Luther has turned himself in for the murder of Johnny Biddle. Wharton realizes that Luther has done this to force the coroner to conduct an autopsy on Biddle. The autopsy confirms that Johnny did, in fact, die of a brain tumor and that Luther's course of treatment was correct. Ray only grows angrier at this, convinced of a conspiracy to bury the truth. After overhearing Wharton say that he is leaving town for vacation, Ray and George overpower the police guard and escape, but Ray re-injures his wounded leg. Ray and George force Edie to call Brooks and lure him to Wharton's empty house. Drunk and in great pain, Ray raves that he is going to kill Brooks and leaves. Edie, left with the deaf George guarding her, turns her radio up very loud to get the attention of the neighbors and escapes when they capture George. At Wharton's house, Ray holds a gun on Brooks as he beats him and repeatedly shouts slurs. Edie arrives and sees that Ray's physical pain and obsessive hatred have pushed him beyond any point of being reasoned with. Pretending to go get a glass of water for Ray, Edie turns out the lights just as Ray pulls the trigger. Brooks is shot in the arm, but grabs Ray's gun after he collapses in pain. Ray's torn his stitches open and could bleed out. Edie thinks this is a good idea but Brooks says he cannot let Ray die simply because of his racism, and convinces Edie to help him save Ray's life by turning her scarf into a tourniquet. As we hear the distant police sirens approach, Ray breaks down crying hysterically. Brooks says to him, "Don't cry, white boy, you're gonna live." The film ends as Edie opens the door to allow the police in.
No Way Out
Crime,Drama,Film-Noir
Film Details
Sidney Poitier is making his feature film debut as Dr. Luther Brooks, the first African-American doctor at the nonspecific urban county hospital where he trained. Brooks sometimes lacks confidence in his own skills, but he's got the confidence of his mentor, Dr.
Dan Wharton, played by Stephen McNally. On his first night, Brooks is assigned to the hospital's prison ward when Johnny and Ray Biddle, brothers who were each shot in the leg while attempting a robbery, are brought in for treatment. A police officer explains how they were captured, and between that and Ray's description of what happened, Brooks is a little worried about Johnny's symptoms.
Ray, who is a huge racist played by Richard Widmark, hammers Luther with racist slurs while he tries to treat the both of them. Brooks is concerned that Johnny has a brain tumor, so he administers a spinal tap, but Johnny dies during the procedure. Ray, who believes that Johnny was only suffering from a gunshot to the leg, accuses Luther of killing him, and promises revenge.
Shortly thereafter, Brooks consults with Wharton, who believes Luther followed the right course of treatment, but concedes the diagnosis may have been incorrect, and the only way to know for sure is through an autopsy. Unfortunately, they're not in a jurisdiction where autopsies are mandatory except under specific circumstances; doctors need to get the consent of the family. And of course Ray refuses to consent because he does not want his brother's body "cut up".
Dr. Sam Moreland, the head of the hospital played by Stanley Ridges, also denies the autopsy request, because he fears that a scandal involving their only black doctor could endanger funding. Brooks and Wharton discover that Johnny is married, so they visit his widow, Edie Johnson, to get her to consent to the autopsy.
Edie, played by Linda Darnell, grew up with the Biddles in Beaver Canal, the city's poor, white district, where racism is baked into the culture. Edie, it turns out, is divorced from Johnny and can't give consent. And while she refuses to help them at first, she later visits Ray in the prison ward to ask why he won't approve the autopsy.
Ray tells her that Johnny would still be alive if he'd been treated by a white doctor, and that Wharton and Luther only want the autopsy so they can cover up the truth about Johnny's death. Ray convinces Edie that the doctors are attempting to play her for a "chump", and that she should tell Beaver Canal club owner Rocky Miller about the circumstances surrounding Johnny's death. Accompanied by Ray's deaf-mute other brother George, played by Harry Bellaver, Edie does this, and Rocky and his pals plan to attack the black section of town.
Brooks, speaking with a black elevator operator named "Lefty", learns that the black community has heard about the pending attack and is planning to strike first. When Brooks tries to dissuade him, Lefty, who's played by Dols Johnson, reminds him of past assaults on the black community, and asks, "Ain't it asking a lot for us to be better than them when we get killed just trying to prove we're as good?" We get a scene depicting both groups preparing for the riot, and it's clear that it's going to be very ugly. The blacks manage to succeed in their attempt to take the riot to Beaver Canal and surprise the whites, and it's a definite melee.
Brooks is in the prison ward when he gets a call to head down to the Emergency Ward because riot victims are coming in. He tends to everyone he encounters until a white woman orders him to take his "black hands" off her son and spits in his face. Brooks is stunned for a minute and then just walks out of the hospital.
Out of guilt at what her actions have caused, Edie visits Wharton's home, where she befriends his black maid, Gladys, though it's not without some race-based suspicion at first. The next morning Brooks' wife Connie, played by an uncredited Ruby Dee, comes to the house as well. She tells Wharton, Gladys, and Edie that Luther has turned himself in for the murder of Johnny Biddle.
Wharton realizes that Luther has done this to force the coroner to conduct an autopsy on Biddle. The autopsy confirms that Johnny did, in fact, die of a brain tumor and that Luther's course of treatment was correct. Ray only grows angrier at this, convinced of a conspiracy to bury the truth.
After overhearing Wharton say that he is leaving town for vacation, Ray and George overpower the police guard and escape, but Ray re-injures his wounded leg. Ray and George force Edie to call Brooks and lure him to Wharton's empty house. Drunk and in great pain, Ray raves that he is going to kill Brooks and leaves.
Edie, left with the deaf George guarding her, turns her radio up very loud to get the attention of the neighbors and escapes when they capture George. At Wharton's house, Ray holds a gun on Brooks as he beats him and repeatedly shouts slurs. Edie arrives and sees that Ray's physical pain and obsessive hatred have pushed him beyond any point of being reasoned with.
Pretending to go get a glass of water for Ray, Edie turns out the lights just as Ray pulls the trigger. Brooks is shot in the arm, but grabs Ray's gun after he collapses in pain. Ray's torn his stitches open and could bleed out.
Edie thinks this is a good idea but Brooks says he cannot let Ray die simply because of his racism, and convinces Edie to help him save Ray's life by turning her scarf into a tourniquet. As we hear the distant police sirens approach, Ray breaks down crying hysterically. Brooks says to him, "Don't cry, white boy, you're gonna live." The film ends as Edie opens the door to allow the police in..