Costner looks for a way out

KEVIN Costner was just on the brink of mega-stardom when No Way Out was released in 1986. He'd just drawn major interest playing Elliot Ness in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, and his portrayals of Lieutenant Farrell in No Way Out and ageing baseball player Crash Davis in Ron Shelton's Bull Durham would establish him as the romantic lead of the 1980s.

And in No Way Out (World, 9.30pm, Original Running Time 114 mins) it's easy to see why. It's been on before but the movie has enough twists and turns to make a second viewing fun, even necessary. Under Roger Donaldson's direction, this remake of John Farrow's 1947 movie The Big Clock is a gripping drama of death and duplicity in the Pentagon.

Sean Young proves that she could act once - though her diabolical performance in A Kiss Before Dying would seem to belie the fact - playing the tantalisingly sexy mistress of Defence Secretary Brice (Gene Hackman).

When she's killed, Hackman calls in young navy officer Costner, ostensibly to find her murderer without stirring up any headlines. The problem is that Hackman accidentally did the deed himself, but is trying to frame Young's unknown other lover. And the problem with that is, Costner's the other lover.

Consequently, Costner's mission becomes a mire of bluffs and double bluffs as he tries to find a way to link the crime to Hackman without the man discovering his own part in the affair.

Confusing yes, but it's edge-of-your-seat drama with strong performances from all three leads, as well as Will Patton playing Hackman's henchman.