No Way Out Reviews

The performances of Delon and Conte (it was to be one of Conte's last) somewhat redeem this tedious, violent, and ultimately pointless gangster drama from Italy. Delon plays a respected, loyal Mafia hit man who decides he's had enough of killing and announces his retirement. The news does not sit well with the bosses of the four top mob families because they feel that Delon knows too much about their operations to be trusted outside the fold. The mob chieftains agree to kill Delon to ensure his silence. When Delon's wife and child are blown up in the family car (a bomb that was meant for him), the former killer vows vengeance. The rest of the film sees Delon trapping and killing off the mob leaders one by one, but not without some difficulty. Having been wounded during the second hit, Delon seeks shelter from fellow criminal Porel. Porel harbors Delon and nurses him back to health so he can complete his vendetta. After the third murder, the remaining mafioso, Conte, asks for a truce, and a tired, disgusted Delon agrees. To show solidarity Conte invites Delon to his daughter's wedding, but there Delon is murdered by his friend Porel. Routine and unimaginative, it is a sad end for the career of Conte, who had played dozens of gangsters in the 1950s and had a brief revival after Francis Coppola cast him as the rival mob boss, Don Barzini, in THE GODFATHER. Visually, the film resembles a TV commercial, filled with fine Italian furniture. The characters continually hold the brand names of products toward the camera, which may account for much of its financing.