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Out of the Past follows Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), a former private investigator trying to escape the past. Unfortunately, it all comes back to haunt him when Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas), a greedy former client and his alluring and mysterious girlfriend Kathie (Jane Greer) reappear in his life.
My first time watching this film was back in 2015, when I was taking an online course on film noir, and I think it was the most perfect choice to capture what a film noir is. Mitchum is perfectly smooth in the lead role as the man who seems to have all the cards stacked against him but still pushes through, while Douglas is cool as ice as the antagonist who just won't leave him alone. Finally, Greer does a great job reeling you in, while you're still wondering her real motives.
But aside from the performances, Tourneur delivers a smooth direction that always gives prominence to the lead characters. Pair that with a flawless script that keeps you going back and forth, trying to guess what will happen next, and an inevitably dark ending, and you have the perfect recipe for a film noir.
I remember that back when I first saw it, I couldn't stop grinning at how much I was enjoying this and how great it was. Rewatching it now, already knowing what will happen, made me pay more attention to the nuances in the performances, and I think I liked it even more. Considering that I had given it a 5/5 already, not sure how much higher I could go. This is an undeniable masterpiece.
Grade:
OUT OF THE PAST
(1947, Tourneur)
A film noir • A film from Jacques Tourneur
(1947, Tourneur)
A film noir • A film from Jacques Tourneur
"You liked me because you could use me. You could use me because I was smart."
Out of the Past follows Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), a former private investigator trying to escape the past. Unfortunately, it all comes back to haunt him when Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas), a greedy former client and his alluring and mysterious girlfriend Kathie (Jane Greer) reappear in his life.
My first time watching this film was back in 2015, when I was taking an online course on film noir, and I think it was the most perfect choice to capture what a film noir is. Mitchum is perfectly smooth in the lead role as the man who seems to have all the cards stacked against him but still pushes through, while Douglas is cool as ice as the antagonist who just won't leave him alone. Finally, Greer does a great job reeling you in, while you're still wondering her real motives.
But aside from the performances, Tourneur delivers a smooth direction that always gives prominence to the lead characters. Pair that with a flawless script that keeps you going back and forth, trying to guess what will happen next, and an inevitably dark ending, and you have the perfect recipe for a film noir.
I remember that back when I first saw it, I couldn't stop grinning at how much I was enjoying this and how great it was. Rewatching it now, already knowing what will happen, made me pay more attention to the nuances in the performances, and I think I liked it even more. Considering that I had given it a 5/5 already, not sure how much higher I could go. This is an undeniable masterpiece.
Grade: