One Way Out (2002) (V)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Allan A. Goldstein

Writer:

John Salvati (writer)

Release Date:

29 May 2002 (Spain)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Harry Woltz is a homicide cop with a gambling problem; a problem that leaves him owing a great deal of money to the Russell brothers...

Plot Keywords:

Actress Breaking Typecast | Sex Scene | Gambling Debt | Female Nudity

Cast

James Belushi	...	Harry Woltz (as Jim Belushi)
Jason Bateman	...	John Farrow
Angela Featherstone	...	Gwen Buckley
Guylaine St-Onge	...	Evans Farrow
Jack Langedijk	...	Corelli
Romano Orzari	...	Carlos La Barra
Jack Daniel Wells	...	Commander Patrick Bratton
Larry Day	...	Jess
Angelo Tsarouchas	...	Mickey Russell
Mike Tsar	...	Ben Russell
Andy Bradshaw	...	Stu Fletcher (as Anderson Chet Bradshaw)
Michel Perron	...	Carl
Zenhu Han	...	Simon the Butler
James Reagh Morrison	...	Restaurant Man
Amanda Strawn	...	Jazz Singer

Also Known As:

À sens unique (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

Spain:94 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:R

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Chariot Communications

Pretty great for a late-night cabler!

First things first - let's lay out the dirty linen: I avoided this thing during normal waking hours, given the 'noir' log-line and the Jim Belushi principal. But between 3 and 5 am, this film was pure gold. Sometimes things just work out that way, especially if you miss the first 10-20 minutes, as I did; years of insomniac viewing have taught me that some beginnings are better missed than seen.

Such was my approach to 'One Way Out' - and it paid off.

How could I have expected Jim Belushi to pull off a Michael Chiklis-like transformation and play a corrupt cop, caught between a rock and a hard place? In fact, the performance is so compelling that it threw me off of the main arc of the plot: While the story may be a bit formulaic, Belushi's performance is a wonderful distraction - I didn't even see the denouement coming, until I was watching it on screen.

In my opinion, this was a far, far better film than the Paltrow/Douglas/Mortenson vehicle of 'A Perfect Murder', as the actors here play against type, and triumph over the material.

Highly recommended! Furthermore, Angela Featherstone, Jason Bateman and Guylaine St. Onge provide excellent support. Not a dull moment.

While I'm not sure that I could recommend this film for viewing during the light of day, I *highly* recommend this movie for it's late night/early morning consumption. A qualified 8/10.