a policeman dead and escapes. Now a fugitive, he returns to his house where Beryl and Thompson are. She tries to tell Thompson not to get involved, but he still feels obliged to Sleat for giving him a break in his outfit. When the police arrive the three of them make a run for it and are pursued by the police through the streets of London's docklands. They finally hole up in a warehouse and Thompson and Sleat shoot down two more policemen. As Sleat gleefully points out to him, Thompson is now in as much trouble as he is. They all face hanging for their crime, and decide to fight it out. The situation rapidly develops into a siege. Sleat begins to break down, and eventually tries to make a run for it but is killed. Thompson and Beryl continue to hold out, but it has dawned on him there is literally no way back. Restored by Beryl's confession of her love for him, and the sound of a nearby radio recounting the ongoing story of the siege and the career of the former champion "Croucher" Thompson—allowing him to briefly relive his glory days as a fighter—he accepts his fate and calmly walks outside to be shot down. Cast Terence De Marney as Johnnie Thompson Eleanor Summerfield as Beryl Jack Raine as Joe Sleat John Salew as Sammy Linkman Shirley Quentin as Sally Thompson Dennis Val Norton as Harry Gerald Lawson as Mike Taylor Tommy McGovern as Himself Peggy Clarke as Miss Carter Thomas Gallagher as Bill Gerald Pring as Doctor Anthony Valentine as Little Boy Production No Way Back was based on the short story "Beryl and the Croucher" by Thomas Burke, from his 1916 collection Limehouse Nights, who was known for his writings set in the East End of London. It is part of the spiv cycle of films made between 1945 and 1950. The real-life boxer Tommy McGovern appears in the opening fight scene of the film as Thompson's opponent. References External links 1949 films 1949 crime films Films set in London British boxing films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Thomas Burke British crime films British black-and-white films Films scored by Eric Spear 1940s English-language films 1940s British films