Episode #7 "No Exit"


Ferrariman

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If you´re working in a job (or maybe as a policeman in a bad area) you need to learn not to let things come too close to you. To keep distance is the only way to cope with special things.

Yes, of course you're right, Christine. I mean that Rico acts more considerate than Sonny, because he isn't such a hothead and let things come so close to him. Therefore I admire Rico.But personally I understand Sonny, because often I´m very emotional too! (Though this attribute is very hindering in many situations)
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  • 3 months later...

No Exit7. No Exit This episode for me was a little too slow at times but it was still a good episode. The shootout at the beginning was pretty good. Crockett just dragging the dude was a nice maneuver. And Tubbs just freaking out about machine guns HaHa. This had to of been one of Bruce Willis’ first appearances in the industry. He looks pretty young. He did a pretty good job playing a intolerant bad a$$. We also continue to see that Crockett cares about his job and feels terrible about setting up Rita. I forgot how much Elvis appears early in the series. I wonder what ever happened to him? The airport swap music is great. One of the more hard rock tunes from Hammer. The final scene at the end was a little predictable but it works. I'm sure Rita figured that was the only way to live everyday without having to worry. Anyway, not too much more to say about this one. It was fine just not one of my favorites of Season 1. 8/10

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  • 6 months later...

IMO, this is probably one of the best episodes of Miami Vice.The opening scene captures a bit of the violence associated with Miami in the early "Scarface" days of the 80s while not trying to be Scarface or too over the top. I remember when Miami changed back then, especially after Mariel. So many iconic moments in this episode it isn't even funny. Really went a long way to establish what would be the flavor and tone of the show at it's best. The gun running was also a nice break from the constant drug running theme. Also gave Crockett and Tubbs a chance to goof on the Feds and helped establish Castillo as a serious insider who knows how the big picture game gets played.Additional elements like surveillance "tricks of the trade" (which would be revisited in "Lend Me An Ear") also made it interesting. The episode also isn't as far fetched as most viewers assume. Somebody associated with the show had to learn about the ripoffs of the Ft. Lauderdale National Guard Armory in the early 80s perpetrated by local gang members who had enlisted. While no "stinger missiles" were stolen, quite a few M-16s and grenades got loaded up and ended up on the local black market.The show was also a refreshing break from shows like The A Team in that when guns are fired people died. Magnum PI was one of the first shows to "get real" (I still loved the ending to China Doll) and when Rita ended the show with a bang it made quite an impression.And then of course there is the usual cars, clothes and music that made the show so much fun. I even tracked down Bruce Willis's arms bible "The Arsenal of Democracy" by Tom Gervasi.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I gave an 8.Strong points for me are the camerawork, it's obvious a lot of attention was paid to making nice shots. Further Tony Amato's house is superb, and I liked Bruce Willis in his guest role, though he's a bit of a flat, one dimension character. I also liked the opening scene because it was on Ocean Drive and the whole team was there. The story has a twist at the end when Amato is suddenly released. Also a strong performance from Tubbs acting as DuPass, and Castillo shows his skills when he suspects the FBI has a hidden agenda.I thought the pace of the episode was a bit slow, but that's also because it's now almost 30 years later. I liked Sonny's outfits, especially the striped blazer, but the bright orange shirt didn't really suit him. Stick to the pastels Sonny!I watched the whole dvd-series earlier and from this episode I remembered the house, Bruce Willis, and his mistreated wife, but the story itself didn't stick.

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  • 11 months later...

No Exit - Watched that again yesterday as dessert after seeing (A Great day to) Die Hard (5) Bruce was great, that black/white shirt he wore at the end was awesome, and I was wondering if there is a name for those pants that are high-rise and beltless? Good grief! Those things look like the same thing Alissa Milano or the mom from Who's The Boss? would wear! Not a fan, but I appreciate their '80s style.P.S., could someone enlighten me on the 3-eyed ...(EDIT: Never mind! Gahhhh I found what I was looking for here:http://www.miamiviceonline.com/showthread.php?17091-quot-AV-Club-quot-website-reviews-quot-No-Exit-quot&highlight=exitLink and quote borrowed from Viceman Cometh's recent post. That was a fantastic article and the idea that it was "the" turning point is pretty profound.Here's the sweet shirt though:[ATTACH=CONFIG]7575[/ATTACH]

post-30-13892965307934_thumb.jpg

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There is a story I heard somewhere (I think it may have been Miami Vice: the E Hollywood story)' date=' that there was friction between DJ and EJO during these early episodes. EJO was apparantly given some creative freedom in his depiction of Castillo, and said something to Don like "from now on, you have to knock before you walk into my office" (whether it was during a scene or not!). Apparantly DJ's head nearly exploded. From piecing together things that have been said (even by Don himself), I think DJ liked to have a certain degree of control over the direction himself, and this I believe was related to a perfectionist aspect to his personality. Add to this the fact that DJ considered himself to be the most important, integral aspect of the show (he was probably right), then to have this newcomer come along, who was afforded this control and respect by the production crew, DJ probably felt undermined. I always wondered if the "door" incident took place during the filming of this episode as during the scene where Castillo, Tubbs, Crockett, and the two FBI guys are in the same room, Crockett (who already appears to be wound up), suddenly remembers that he is in Castillo's office, and slams the door shut during the middle of the dialogue. EJO had probably told him he had to close the door behind him as well!DanJ also took myself and Baron Samedi to the bar last years where Switek and Zito were conducting their surveillance. The pool table is still there and the bars on the windows are still the same.[/quote']Awesome information and anecdotes in the whole of the threads around - surfed on in following a scan for "No Exit" on the forum search (Give it a whirl); this seems to be one episode that has had a lot of discussion.
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  • 1 year later...

No Exit: (1984)

I almost forgot that this is the one were Bruce Willis shows up as Tony Amato and he sure delivers an impressive job as one of the less kindly Miami Citizens to ever grace the show.

It start out a bit like Cool Runnin', gunmen going wild, wild west, luckily no one gets hurt, well beside Tubbs ego maybe "I hate machine guns!".

Even for a dark episode as No Exit, there are some unintentional humour that happens along the way. and I couldn't hold my face straight as Crockett's dramatic "NOOOO" and his face freezes right at the end.

I think it would worked out better if we only heard the gunshot.

The music is again almost flawless, and Phil Collins and Miami at night are as usual a perfect hit. 

All in all a fine episode indeed and much better than I remember.

8/10

 

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  • 11 months later...

Cory Barker of the website This Was Television reviews "No Exit":

 

Bruce Willis’s work in “No Exit†is legitimately great. I’m not surprised that this episode led to him headlining his own series with Moonlighting. His Tony Amato is a charming and intelligent and yet terrifying man ...

 

... Willis crackles whenever he is on screen. It’s a star-making performance, if such a thing does exist in a random, early-season guest star turn for a new show (and his case, it apparently does).

 

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  • 10 months later...

This was the first episode of Vice I ever seen, talk about being spoiled rotten from the start!

 

Classic episode, one of the best. 

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On 5/8/2016 at 3:22 AM, Tony_MontanaCDL said:

This was the first episode of Vice I ever seen, talk about being spoiled rotten from the start!

 

Classic episode, one of the best. 

 

 

Yes great episode - welcome to ths site !!:D

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  • 1 month later...

Love how Bruce Willis seems like he's doubling as Amato and Addison at the same time on TV :D

David Addison of Moonlighting is one of my favourite characters of all-time!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/5/2016 at 2:29 PM, Bilders said:

Love how Bruce Willis seems like he's doubling as Amato and Addison at the same time on TV

David Addison of Moonlighting is one of my favourite characters of all-time!

Yes very good point !! Great episode:D:D

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  • 2 months later...
On 15/05/2011 at 9:08 AM, Joe said:

A very deep-going, multisided story, full of good humour and drama.:clap::happy::happy:At the latest now we know that VICE is unique and completely different than other TV-shows.:clap:Already the teaser includes a lot of hard action, but also cool sayings by Rico and Stan.Later on we see a ruthless Bruce Willis as an arms dealer who abuses his wife.Very good scenes follow showing Sonny and Rico when they have to listen to Amato's awful crimes.:evil: Donnie demonstrates excellently that Sonny can't abide this circumstance!!!:clap:I especially love the scenes when Sonny masquerades himself as a killer and Rita tells him the story of her life with Amato (everything's filmed in close-ups of their faces!!!:happy:Futhermore the differences between Sonny and Rico are shown fantastically: while Sonny's extremely emotional, Rico stays cool and relaxed. He never loses himself in fits of rage like Sonny, but personally I can understand Sonny more. Sometimes you are at the end of your tether!The end of No Exit is typical VICE: justice fails.:hot:This is so realistic that everybody has to marvel. There wasn't any TV series which shows reality so down-to-earth like VICE!!!:happy:And Rita is forced to kill her husband because no one can help her - for her there's proverbial No Exit...Besides the absolutely moving story, I enjoy great acting of Donnie, Philip, EJO and Bruce Willis:thumbsup:At that time Bruce was unknown, but he acts like a professional! I really approve him being a villain - there's no doubt!:clap:Futhermore No Exit has a wide range of excellent cloths weared by Sonny and Amato too (especially this cool shirt at the end!!!:happy:)Not to forget Don't Care Anymore by Phil Collins which is again a perfect song for these scenes!:radio:10 of 10 points!

A great review !:D

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  • 6 months later...

One of the definitive episodes. When I first went through the series, this was probably my favorite. The big pros include Bruce Willis, the surveillance scenes, and the epic finale with Phil Collins blaring. And Tubbs little meltdown during the opening cracks me up.

 

Only thing I don't like is the actress who played Rita.

9.5/10

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  • 7 months later...

What I loved:  In No Exit, Bruce Willis is undeniably the shining star as the international gun runner Tony Amato. Willis plays such a terrific villian. It's a role that suits him, and something he should have pursued a little more in his career. I like Amato's henchmen too.

Sometimes Vice can feature bad guest stars with poor acting chops, but not these federal agents! Tom Mardirosian and Norman Parker are just terrific in these roles!

Jan Hammer's Airport Swap is just all kinds of awesome here. Philip Michael Thomas does a bang up job undercover as Dupass and I love how concerned he is during the stinger missle demonstration. Phil Collin's I Don't Care Anymore fits Vice well, and Elvis is as great as ever. And an on-edge Crockett jumping to the sounds of Dominos players is a nice touch.

What I would change: Rita, Rita, Rita. Played by Katherine Borowitz, she (and to a lesser extent her storyline) was a bad, bad fit here. Actually neither Katherine nor Don Johnson will win any awards for their acting performances here (sorry DJ) but especially Katherine.

And playing Teddy Pendergrass' Stay With Me as a musical backdrop to the abuse? No just no. This is such an awful musical fit that takes me right out of the episode. A shake your head moment for me.

Final Grade:

IMG_20171217_160334.thumb.jpg.fd70a130b41aa40bf09af2e042910387.jpg

 

Edited by ComplimentsofMrCalderone
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15 hours ago, ComplimentsofMrCalderone said:

What I loved:  In No Exit, Bruce Willis is undeniably the shining star as the international gun runner Tony Amato. Willis plays such a terrific villian. It's a role that suits him, and something he should have pursued a little more in his career. I like Amato's henchmen too.

(snipped)

What I would change: Rita, Rita, Rita. Played by Katherine Borowitz, she (and to a lesser extent her storyline) was a bad, bad fit here. Actually neither Katherine nor Don Johnson will win any awards for their acting performances here (sorry DJ) but especially Katherine.

(snipped)

Agree 100% about Bruce Willis' acting in this episode.  He was fantastic.

Not sure I agree about Katherine Borowitz's performance, though.  Just to take a different view:  Rita wasn't especially attractive physically, and her personality wasn't that great, either (although one could say that her personality had been warped by living with an abusive husband like Tony).  She isn't really a sympathetic character.  Although we feel sorry for Rita, she's not very likable.   I think the episode was trying to demonstrate that abusive relationships can happen to anyone, and a victim who isn't willing to step out and leave her abuser may still need help--but is difficult to help because she doesn't cooperate with the systems available to her.  Nothing revolutionary about that in 2017, but in 1984 society was just waking up to the multifaceted problems of domestic abuse. 

The police weren't after Amato to save his wife.  Crockett and Tubbs tried to help her, but at the same time they were using her, just like Tony had used her (and Crockett, at least, realized this and hated himself and his job a little bit because of it).  Borowitz portrayed this difficult woman caught in a trap quite well.  Her actions and responses didn't make sense sometimes because she had to do a lot of mental contortions to get her life to make sense (because it didn't).  She's staying for her own reasons, and some of them are at least passed off as altruistic--to keep others from being hurt.  But does she also like the lifestyle that Tony's income brings?  

It also made me wonder why Amato married Rita.  Did she have money he gained control of and used to start his criminal empire?  Is he hanging onto her for money?  to keep her silent?  just to show he can?   

In short, as usual MV doesn't flesh out all the whys and hows.  We are left to fill in the gaps in the story.  But since the episode itself doesn't explain those details of backstory and motivation, I think Borowitz's character portrayal gets us (the viewers) to question what is not being shown.

DJ's acting--maybe not his best effort, but I thought he did a great job.  His facial expressions and gestures show his inner conflict over allowing the abuse to continue while the team gathers evidence against Amato.  He knows they are using Rita and they are willing to do it in order to bring Amato down.  What if Amato seriously injures her while they are waiting to get evidence?  Where is the line?  To me, this always seemed to hint at some possible events in Crockett's past.  Again, intriguing hints that were never explained. 

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1 hour ago, vicegirl85 said:

Not sure I agree about Katherine Borowitz's performance, though.  Just to take a different view:  Rita wasn't especially attractive physically, and her personality wasn't that great, either (although one could say that her personality had been warped by living with an abusive husband like Tony).  She isn't really a sympathetic character.  Although we feel sorry for Rita, she's not very likable.   I think the episode was trying to demonstrate that abusive relationships can happen to anyone, and a victim who isn't willing to step out and leave her abuser may still need help--but is difficult to help because she doesn't cooperate with the systems available to her.  Nothing revolutionary about that in 2017, but in 1984 society was just waking up to the multifaceted problems of domestic abuse. 

Please don't get me wrong, I actually like what they were going for there, just to me the execution of it failed. And maybe the failure is due to what you exactly pointed out: "she isn't really a sympathetic character". Perhaps that is is the crux of the problem (at least to me) and likely could be fixed with sharper writing, and an actress more capable of conveying the helplessness she feels, gaining sympathy from the audience. I guess what I am saying is... I liked that they went there, just underwhelmed with the result  (in the degree of dramatic storytelling.)

 

1 hour ago, vicegirl85 said:

DJ's acting--maybe not his best effort, but I thought he did a great job.  His facial expressions and gestures show his inner conflict over allowing the abuse to continue while the team gathers evidence against Amato.  He knows they are using Rita and they are willing to do it in order to bring Amato down.  What if Amato seriously injures her while they are waiting to get evidence?  Where is the line?  To me, this always seemed to hint at some possible events in Crockett's past.  Again, intriguing hints that were never explained. 

You know it's interesting that Sonny doesn't engage with Rita honestly, until she makes the "right" decision regarding if she wants to have her husband killed or not. Only when Rita finally confirms to Crockett that she changed her mind and doesn't want Amato killed, does Sonny reveal he is not the hitman but a undercover cop. I wonder what would have happened is Rita tried to plan the hit with Sonny. How would Sonny have reacted?

It's also interesting to note in the "Rites of Passage" episode, Crockett was on the other end of the spectrum (so to speak). Crockett wanted to use Valerie's drug addicted, prostituted younger sister to put the criminal boss away, but Tubbs argued against it. And it was Valerie at the end of the arguement saying "hasn't she been used enough?" to convince Castillo they would leave Valerie's sister alone and get the criminal Traynor another way.

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9 hours ago, ComplimentsofMrCalderone said:

Please don't get me wrong, I actually like what they were going for there, just to me the execution of it failed. And maybe the failure is due to what you exactly pointed out: "she isn't really a sympathetic character". Perhaps that is is the crux of the problem (at least to me) and likely could be fixed with sharper writing, and an actress more capable of conveying the helplessness she feels, gaining sympathy from the audience. I guess what I am saying is... I liked that they went there, just underwhelmed with the result  (in the degree of dramatic storytelling.)

I agree, if Rita had been acted differently--as a more sympathetic character--she would have been more appealing to me, too.  That could have increased the degree of dramatic storytelling, as you say.  And not trying to be argumentative, but Rita's very unlikable-ness is what I feel made her an interesting, believable, and more lifelike character (i.e. someone who might live that life).  Making Rita an unsympathetic character was a gutsy move (if done purposely!).  If that was the intention, I applaud the writers and directors.  If they were trying to make her sympathetic and engage with viewers, it certainly was ...less than a triumph.

I work in a hospital, and worked in the ER for many years.  In recent years we have learned about human trafficking (much of the information was new to me, at least), and it has been a major point that the victims of human trafficking are not always sympathetic characters or easy to reach.  Their employer/pimp/partner may exert so much control over every aspect of their life that they can't see a way out.  They may use hostility or non-cooperation as a defense to healthcare workers trying to help them.  While Rita wasn't quite a victim of human trafficking, Amato exerted the same kind of control over her and she felt helpless to resist or to leave him, for whatever reason.  

I like what you pointed out about Valerie's sister and Crockett's willingness to use her to gain a "greater good".  Certainly that was an inconsistency in writing of his character (IMO).  It doesn't really fit with his usual sympathetic reaction to females.  

It's interesting how often we (as in all forum members) view the same episodes and have such different reactions to the storyline or characters, or maybe the actors playing the characters.  I'm interested and intrigued by your response, and it's valid even if it's not the same as mine.

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3 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

I agree, if Rita had been acted differently--as a more sympathetic character--she would have been more appealing to me, too.  That could have increased the degree of dramatic storytelling, as you say.  And not trying to be argumentative, but Rita's very unlikable-ness is what I feel made her an interesting, believable, and more lifelike character (i.e. someone who might live that life).  Making Rita an unsympathetic character was a gutsy move (if done purposely!).  If that was the intention, I applaud the writers and directors.  If they were trying to make her sympathetic and engage with viewers, it certainly was ...less than a triumph.

While I think this comes down to me not quite believing the performance of Katherine Borowitz the actress, and the words she is saying and the emotions she is trying to convey, I do agree with you that an intentional, unsympathetic character is indeed the braver choice. 

Maybe this is the writer in me, but I actually think the story would have been better served as two separate episodes. One featuring gun runner Tony Amato... and one episode dealing with a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship.

A prostitute as a victim certainly would be a brave choice. Crimes against women in prostitution are too often under prioritized by law enforcement as a whole, stigmatized with a societal lesser worth.

Or, the victim could have been married to an abusive vice cop working in the same office with Crockett and Tubbs, where some of the cops in the "brotherhood" refuse to take her complaints seriously.  Perhaps the abuse victim could have been be a vice cop herself (which would have made an interesting dynamic.) A story like that could show that even someone trained to protect and serve can suffer tremendously in an abusive relationship and still result in a drain of one's self worth, leaving someone feeling desperately trapped.

However, I do feel a bit foolish discussing this in fictional terms, in light of what you have learned at the ER, so I will concede to your expertise!  But indeed, life wouldn't be nearly as interesting if we always had identical perspectives and opinions!  

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I like your ideas for episodes dealing with the same/ similar topics.  Definitely the writing and guest star performances could be erratic on MV as well.  Sometimes the intention seemed to be greater than the final result. 

I will say that I didn't find Rita likable, and you may well be right about Katherine Borowitz's acting in the role.  After all, I even liked the actress who played Dorothy in Buddies, whereas most here agree her acting was a weak link :)   So I"m probably not the best judge of acting, LOL.

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2 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

I like your ideas for episodes dealing with the same/ similar topics.  Definitely the writing and guest star performances could be erratic on MV as well.  Sometimes the intention seemed to be greater than the final result. 

I will say that I didn't find Rita likable, and you may well be right about Katherine Borowitz's acting in the role.  After all, I even liked the actress who played Dorothy in Buddies, whereas most here agree her acting was a weak link :)   So I"m probably not the best judge of acting, LOL.

LOL. Well a good judge of acting or just more forgiving, either way you're very humble and well thought out - all endeering qualities... so you're aces in my book! 

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Edited by ComplimentsofMrCalderone
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