No Way Out (1950)

A young black doctor (Sidney Poitier) working in an urban hospital is called on to treat two racist brothers caught in a robbery. When one of them (Dick Paxton) dies, the other (Richard Widmark) accuses the doctor of murdering him. As racial tension mounts in the city, the doctor attempts to remove all doubt regarding the cause of death. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (ALL  ABOUT EVE), this is a potent piece of movie dynamite. Still relevant and powerful today, one can only surmise how it confronted 1950 audiences who weren't used to such an in your face look at racism from mainstream Hollywood. The film pulls no punches and comes at you head on. Poitier's performance is so assured that you'd never guess this was his film debut. Perhaps the film's most surprising performance comes from Linda Darnell, an actress perhaps known more for her beauty than her acting but she eschews glamour as the dead man's ex-wife struggling to find her place in a world that wants to crush her. With Stephen McNally, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Harry Bellaver, Mildred Joanne Smith and Amanda Randolph.