Way Out (1967)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Writers:

John Gimenez (play)
Rudy Nelson (writer)
(more)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Story of two men who become heroin addicts, what they must do to support their habit and how it affects their lives. |

Plot Keywords:

Heroin | Drug Addiction | Independent Film | Based On Play

Cast

Franklin Rodríguez	...	Frankie (as Frank Rodriguez)
Sharyn Jimenez	...	Anita
Jerry Rutkin	...	Jerry
Starr Ruiz	...	Stella
Gilbert Mesa	...	Fats
Cecil White	...	Che Che
Louis Colon	...	Louie
Rudy Rosado	...	Rudy
John Gimenez	...	Pop
Eddie James	...	Harlem Man
Naomi Pérez	...	Anita's Mother
Eric Hutson	...	Narco
J.R. Hilton	...	Snuffy
Norman Yager	...	Pusher
Chuck Painter	...	Policeman
Lewis Sager	...	Guard

Directed by
Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Gimenez		play "The Addicts"
Rudy Nelson		writer
Shirley Nelson		writer
Jean Yeaworth		writer

Produced by
Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Kurt Kaiser

Cinematography by
Thomas E. Spalding		(as Thomas Spalding)

Film Editing by
John A. Bushelman		(as John Bushelman)

Art Department
Jasper Brinton	....	set designer

Sound Department
Robert Clement	....	sound recordist
Fred De Croce	....	sound editor
Robert Sherwood	....	sound re-recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Vincent Spangler	....	lighting technician
Dick Wilder	....	head grip

Music Department
Jean Yeaworth	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Janis French	....	continuity
Joe Polinski	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Valley Forge Films

Distributors

• Premier Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2002) (USA) (DVD-R)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2004) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Melrose, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Valley Forge Films

Trivia:

All of the principal actors - none of whom are professionals - are themselves former heroin addicts.

Soundtrack:

Lament

Not So "Bad"

This is one of the better films I've seen about drug addiction, at least from the POV of the confirmed addict. It sadly doesn't show what makes one get into it the first place (if everyone who smoked pot became heroin users, as this film professes, there would be tens of millions of heroin users in this country). In fact, we see an intelligent, sane guy suddenly shoot up one day with his friend, a heroin addict. His friend never pressured him, and the guy could clearly see how messed up it makes one, so why would a smart guy do that? Stuff like that drives me crazy. Still, the acting, all by real-life former junkies, is pitch perfect, and it's refreshing to see a film from that era from the POV of Latin Americans. There's actually some fun stuff in this too, like the planning of a robbery of a jewelry store. In fact, the robbery sequences and the narration make me wonder if Gus Van Sant didn't take a few tips from this film when making 'Drugstore Cowboy'.

This film was released on DVD on the 'Something Weird' label, but despite the blatant 'I found Jesus' ending (which I actually found affirming despite how squeamish I usually get from religious message movies) it isn't camp or 'bad'. In fact, I'd hold it up there with the other good anti-drug movies from that era like 'A Hatful of Rain' and 'Sweet Love Bitter'.