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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. One Way Out remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're in the mood for a movie that treats the end of a life like filling out tax forms, One Way Out is absolutely worth eighty minutes of your evening. Anyone who loves dark, deadpan comedies will get a kick out of this weird little film.
But if you are looking for an uplifting story or a fast-paced thriller, stay far away. 😅
The premise is simple but totally crazy. A guy wants to end it all, but he happens to be in this tiny, fictional European nation where you can't even die without a permit.
Literally. You need stamps, signatures, and three copies of your birth certificate just to jump off a bridge.
It reminds me a bit of the quiet, grey vibe in Once Over, but much more depressing. Ray Collins plays our main guy, and he looks tired.
Not "movie tired" with perfect makeup, but actually bags-under-the-eyes exhausted. He just wants to lie down, but instead, he has to wait in a three-hour line at Room 404 to get the "Intent to Expire" form. 📄
There's this one scene where a clerk is eating a sandwich. The chewing goes on for so long.
Like, a solid minute of just wet chewing noises while Ray Collins stares at her. It's so uncomfortable but I couldn't stop laughing.
It's those little, messy moments that make the movie work. Thelma White plays another clerk who is weirdly cheerful about the whole thing.
She has this big, fake smile while explaining the fees for the "cleanup deposit." It’s incredibly dark but the actress plays it so straight.
Also, the lighting is awful in a good way. Everything is this sickly green-gray color that makes you feel like you are sitting in a real DMV office. 🤢
I do wish Charles Lawrence had more to do in the second half. He pops up early on as a priest who is supposed to offer spiritual counseling, but he mostly just complains about his own bad back.
It’s funny, but then he just disappears from the plot entirely. The movie doesn't really care about wrapping up his story, which is a bit annoying.
Unlike some of the bigger budget stuff from this era, like Out of the Clouds, this movie has almost no music. Just the hum of fluorescent lights and the clicking of typewriters.
It gets inside your head after a while. It makes you feel the boredom of the main character.
The ending is a bit of a mess, honestly. It feels like they ran out of film or money, so the story just kind of stops.
But I didn't mind too much. A neat Hollywood ending would have ruined the joke anyway.
Some people might find the pacing way too slow. It definitely drags in the middle when he's trying to find a notary who isn't on lunch break.
But if you like that specific brand of dry, frustrating humor, it's a real gem. Just don't expect a happy ending. 💀
IMDb —
1922
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