it's asking a lot to be better than them when we get killed for trying to be as good

For me, that quote pretty much sums up No Way Out.

This movie establishes a few interesting perspectives on race. The position taken by Dr. Wharton and Dr. Brooks is that blacks should be treated no differently than whites. Dr. Brooks as a doctor should be treated the same as anyone else, regardless of his race. As Dr. Wharton puts it, he shouldn't have to hire some rich, white doctor that is not qualified or not give the job to a qualified doctor because he is black. This position is too idealistic for the world of the 1950s though, as is highlighted by Ray Biddle, who hates Dr. Brooks because he is black. He also accuses Br. Brooks for murdering his brother for a decision that any reasonable doctor may have made that resulted in his brother's death. Ray Biddle uses his brother's death as a reason to hate Dr. Brooks, even though in reality he is a bigot, as is expressed when Ray Biddle says that he does not think that he or his brother (or anyone for that matter) should be treated by a black doctor. Bigotry is so deeply rooted in people of this position that Ray Biddle even goes to the length of framing Dr. Brooks of stealing a scalpel just to make life a little harder for Dr. Brooks. The third and less obvious position shown in this movie is that of Dr. Sam Moreland, the Chief of Medicine. Dr. Moreland likes having Dr. Brooks in his hospital and acknowledges the fact that he is a capable doctor, but he wants him in his hospital because it fills a quota. The only concern that Dr. Moreland has with the situation between Dr. Brooks and Ray Biddle is that it is bad press, and Dr. Moreland does not permit the autopsy on ray Biddle's brother because it may lead to unwanted press. All three of these positions are real positions that were around during the time period in which the movie was made.

One thing to keep in mind when watching this movie is that it was made in 1950. That was before the Civil Rights movement, before MLK, before Rosa Parks on the bus. There were still people in the world like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Wharton, who think that people of all race should be treated equally, but there were also people like Ray Biddle and these people had a lot more power. Not only is the hate and bigotry of people like Ray Biddle a powerful force of anger, but that force is reciprocated on the other side of the spectrum. As Lefty, the elevator man put is to Dr. Brooks, "it's asking a lot to be better than them when we get killed for trying to be as good". Ray Biddle is oppressing Dr. Brooks for trying to be as good as any other white doctor, and is even going to a length to try and get Dr. Brooks killed. Dr. Brooks does protest the hate between the two races, but Lefty tells Dr. Brooks that he is not in the wrong, he should not have to go to great length make Ray Biddle believe that he is innocent of the accusations made against him and that he was just being a doctor and trying to save Ray Biddle's brother. In fact, it is asking a lot, too much even.

The resilient Dr. Brooks does eventually snap when a white woman spits in his face for trying to help her son. But, this snapping leads to Dr. Brooks doing something profound. He confesses to the murder of Ray Biddle's brother. Of course, Dr. Brooks is innocent as is revealed by the mandatory criminal autopsy, but even this is not enough for the hate and prejudice of Ray Biddle. In the end, Ray Biddle gets his just desserts and is sent to jail and half bleeds to death from his reopened gunshot wound.

The use of the word 'nigger' in this movie is completely different than that of The Birth of a Nation. Ray Biddle repeatedly calls Dr. Brooks by a variety of racial slurs, including 'nigger'. As Dr. Brooks puts it, he has developed a 'thick, black skin' over the years. This implies that racism is rampant and that in the 1950s, slurs were used by whites towards blacks in a hateful way. Ray is the only main character to actually call a black person a 'nigger' in the movie, which suggests that it is only used by bigots in a derogatory fashion. Already, from the first to the second movie, I have noticed an evolution in the culture and race relations of the times. Given, I made a 35 year jump, a lot has changed. Next on the list is another Sidney Poitier movie: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.