Out of the Past
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. US. 1947. NR. 97 min. Warner Bros. 35mm.
- Sun, Sep 23, 2:00 pm
If you ever want to show a friend a nearly perfect example of what a film noir is (or can be), bring him/her to see Out of The Past. It’s got everything: crime, seduction, betrayal, vengeance, great dialogue, and shadowy people in shadow-filled places. And flashbacks. Boy does this movie have great flashbacks. Starring Robert Mitchum, in one of his best laconic good/bad guy roles, a young Kirk Douglas exuding a palpable menace under a civilized surface, and Jane Greer as the femme-fatale, almost the whole film is told as a flashback. What can we say? This is not only a fine film noir, it is a really great film. (As for the 1984 remake, Against All Odds, it had a nice Phil Collins title song. But Jeff Bridges is no Bob Mitchum.) (Bill Roth)