Out of the Past (1947)

• Year: 1947
• Released: 01 Dec 1947
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 win
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039689/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Out_of_the_Past
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, American Sign
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
• Runtime: 97 min
• Writer: Daniel Mainwaring, James M. Cain, Frank Fenton
• Director: Jacques Tourneur
• Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas
• Keywords: small town, detective, black and white, gangster, noir,

	8.0/10
	95% – Critics
	92% – Audience

Out of the Past Storyline

In a small town in California, the mysterious Jeff Bailey owns a small gas station and is in love with the local Ann. When a stranger just arrived in town meets him, Jeff is ordered to travel to meet the powerful criminal Whit Sterling. Before traveling, Jeff calls Ann and tells her the story of his life, when he was a private eyes hired by Whit for US$ 5,000.00 to find his former mistress Kathie that had shot Whit and stolen US$ 40,000.00. The competent Jeff finds Kathie in Acapulco, but she tells him that she had not taken Whit’s money and they fall in love for each other and escape from Whit. When the former partner of Jeff, Fisher, finds the couple living in an isolated cabin, Kathie kills him and Jeff buries his corpse. Jeff accidentally finds the receipt of deposit of the amount in Kathie’s purse and leaves her forever. When Jeff meets Whit, he surprisingly finds Kathie living with him; Whit asks Jeff one last job to get even and release Jeff from his debt. But Jeff finds that Whit is actually framing him.

Out of the Past Play trailer

Out of the Past Photos

Out of the Past Torrents Download

Out of the Past Subtitles Download

Out of the Past Movie Reviews

Excellent example of film noir at its best

Full of atmosphere and heat, “Out of the Past” is a classic film noir, directed by a master, Jacques Tourneur. Although considered only an above-average B movie at the time of release, it’s doubtful anyone thinks of it that way today, as it is superior to many “A” films. With a top-notch cast and a deceptively easy pace that belies the tension and danger underneath, “Out of the Past” makes for an intriguing, absorbing film.

Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer make a great pair – both are sultry, sexy, hard to read, and gorgeous. I found Greer’s performance quite interesting. In the beginning, she appears quite warm, frightened, and sincere, as opposed to, say, Lizabeth Scott in “Dead Reckoning.” When she turns hardboiled, it’s subtle, with only a change in her eyes and voice, when she comments that Fisher isn’t going to say anything to anybody. I love the way Mitchum sizes up women. He absolutely smolders, and 40 years later, in “The Winds of War,” he was still smoldering.

Kirk Douglas is appropriately edgy in his supporting role as Whit. Rhonda Fleming has a small role, but no one that incredibly beautiful was going to go unnoticed for long.

What a wonderful film, what a perfect example of a genre.

Very good,…but a tad overrated

Okay, it’s odd that I would give a film a score of 8 and still say it’s overrated. That’s because as of the time I wrote this review, this film was #203 on the IMDb Top 250–and this just seems too high a rating. Part of it is because there are many better Film Noir movies that didn’t make the list and because the plot, at times, is awfully convoluted. It earns it’s 8 more because of the film’s excellent style and snappy Noir dialog. In many ways, it reminds me of the excellent Bogart film, THE BIG SLEEP, because they both have plot problems BUT still are excellent films to watch.

Now as I said already, the dialog was great and Robert Mitchum is a great Noir actor. He is big, tough, kind of ugly and not 100% good or evil–the perfect Noir hero. And in support, you’ve got quite a few similar characters–except that they ARE 100% evil! In true Noir fashion, the other “unsung” supporting actors were the sets and camera angles and music that really set the mood. Director Jacques Tourneur did a great job of setting the mood–just like he did in his famous collaborations with producer Val Lewton.

So give the movie a try, but also try to see some other Noir gangster films from the era that are also great films but somehow have gone unnoticed, such as T-MEN, THE KILLERS, DOA, BOB Le FLAMBEUR, KISS OF DEATH, ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW, WHITE HEAT, THE RACKET and THE NARROW MARGIN and many, many more.

Defines the term quintessential film noir

What a movie. If I had to give away the term quintessential film noir to any film noir, Out of the Past could very well be it. The plot is complicated yet it is very engrossing, with plenty of effective scenes, especially that unforgettable ending. It is gorgeously shot, exceptionally directed, adeptly scripted and atmospherically scored, these are reasons enough to watch this film. But I can’t write this review without praising the acting. Robert Mitchum is memorably languid as the ultra-hard-boiled former private detective, while Jane Greer is dangerously beautiful as the cold yet equally beautiful femme-fatale. Kirk Douglas is also brilliant as the soft-spoken yet truly Machiavellian gangster. Overall, Out of The Past is quite simply quintessential film noir. 10/10 Bethany Cox