Movie Review One Way Out

One Way Out (2002)

Directed by Allan A. Goldstein 

Written by John Salvati 

Starring Jim Belushi, Jason Bateman, Angela Featherstone 

Release Date May 29th, 2002 

Published December 9th, 2002

It doesn't happen very often but occasionally a straight-to-video title will actually start with a good concept but fail in execution. The new straight-to-video movie One Way Out starring James Belushi has an interesting concept, a story that if better executed with better acting, directing and budget, could have been a pretty good movie or at least a good episode of NYPD Blue.

In One Way Out Belushi is hotshot cop Harry Woltz, one of those "makes his own rules" rogue cops screenwriters write with their eyes closed. Harry wears designer suits, drives nice cars and has a very serious gambling problem. Harry is deep in debt to a pair of club owning gangsters. Instead of breaking Harry's legs the mob guys offer him a choice, he can pay them something in the tens of thousands or they can kill him, or he can help them kill their business partner. Why doesn't Harry simply arrest them? Because they have threatened to have their bosses kill Harry's partner if he squeals.

One thing that makes the job a little easier for Harry is he doesn't have to carry out the murder himself. The mobsters want Harry to use his knowledge of crime scene investigation to help another guy, John Farrow (Hogan Family star Jason Bateman, stop laughing I'm not kidding) the husband of the business partner, get away with murder.

So Harry and John begin to set a plan in motion that should make John the lead suspect in the murder but leave no actual evidence. The plan is actually quite fool proof as long as John holds up his end. Unfortunately for Harry, John screws up and Harry becomes more involved in the plan than he wanted to be.

Complicating matters is Harry's partner Gwen (Angela Featherstone), who has been assigned to investigate the case. With no evidence available, Gwen begins to suspect John while also falling for him. Knowing that John actually killed his wife and seeing his partner falling for a killer has Harry in a tight spot, when suddenly an anonymous phone call draws Harry into the case as an investigator and then a suspect himself.

The concept of a cop in debt to the mob helping to stage a murder isn't bad and is efficiently executed. Unfortunately director Allan A. Goldstein lacks the ability to frame the story in any interesting way. The film's biggest problem is Jason Bateman who is completely overmatched. Bateman is a joke as the master manipulator, who outwits cops with his charm and good looks. That he was cast in this role is chuckle-inducing so you can imagine how unintentionally funny the performance is.

Belushi for his part is efficient but not memorable. He hasn't done any real interesting work since the David Lynch mini series Wild Palms.

I liked the idea behind this film. Touch up the story to make it a little more dramatic and logical, recast the three leads and up the production value and you might have a pretty good movie. But this version of One Way Out is just no good.