Blu-ray Review: No Way Back (1995)

It is essentially a rule of Hollywood — become a big enough star and all your early work (the stuff from before you were a global superstar), no matter how bad, will get released to every new medium. While there is absolutely some sort of pride that an actor or actress can take from this, it can also be somewhat embarrassing. That has to be the exact sort of issue Russell Crowe is going through now that No Way Back has been released on Blu-ray. The film, which stars Crowe as a rogue FBI agent struggling to get his kidnapped son back, is certainly a minor work in the Crowe cannon, one best left forgotten.

Zack Grant (Crowe) starts the movie in charge of a sting operation to take down the son of mafia kingpin, Frank Serlano (Michael Lerner). Things don't go as planned, the son dies, and Grant's only lead after things go south takes him to the Yakuza member named Yuji (Etsushi Toyokawa). It would be all well and good, Grant good turn Yuji right over to the FBI if Serlano acting in "good-for-the-goose-good-for-the-gander" mode hadn't kidnapped Grant's kid.

The rest of the movie finds Grant trying to brink Yuji to Serlano despite Yuji's best attempts to waylay Grant. Some of those actually make for the best moments in the film — particularly the utterly impossible landing of a 747 on a miniscule backwoods runway. That particular scene is unquestionably the height of the film's "so bad it's good" moments.

Because every film, even an action one, requires a love interest, No Way Back offers us Helen Slater's incredibly over-eager and naïve flight attendant, Mary. Grant, already in a bad movie, isn't particularly nice to Mary, but, watching the film one might think that he actually doesn't go far enough.

The film is almost made more interesting by the fact that there are multiple bad and good faction out following Grant and company, but the rapidity with which every group except for the hero's moves negates that advantage almost entirely. The rest of the advantage is eliminated as soon as one considers the fact that no matter whether Grant is off road or on, everyone is able to find them instantly. It is as though Grant has a hidden tracking device on him that both the cops and robbers have access to and which Grant knows nothing about.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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