Out of the Past (1947)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Ken S

  
  The director of Cat People strikes again with what may be a perfect noir.

• xGary X

  
  A stranger uncovers the secret past of a small town gas station owner drawing him back into the shadowy world he was trying to forget. Robert Mitchum's first starring role, and it's easy to see why it made him a star; he is superb as the ex private eye who falls for the… More
  A stranger uncovers the secret past of a small town gas station owner drawing him back into the shadowy world he was trying to forget. Robert Mitchum's first starring role, and it's easy to see why it made him a star; he is superb as the ex private eye who falls for the charms of one of the quintessential femme fatales in the shape of Jane Greer. Kirk Douglas also gives brilliant support as the great manipulator looking for revenge and the web of deceit he weaves makes for an intriguing plot that's complex without being overly convoluted. The icing on the cake is the artistic eye of Jacques Tourneur who makes the film one of the most visually attractive crime dramas ever made. Years ahead of its time, Out Of The Past is one of THE greats of Film Noir.

• Tsubaki S

  
  I really got lost with the plot around the middle, something about tax papers and what not. I guess i either didn't pay attention or i'm just stupid. So it will need a rewatch. Also, BITCHES AND WHORES!

• Michael G

  
  Out of the Past has everything a film noir junkie could ask for. Dialogue you could open a letter with, darkly moody cinematography, a femme fatale that makes Ann Coulter look like a pre-school teacher and a world-weathered simp who knows he's headed straight for a screw-job.… More
  Out of the Past has everything a film noir junkie could ask for. Dialogue you could open a letter with, darkly moody cinematography, a femme fatale that makes Ann Coulter look like a pre-school teacher and a world-weathered simp who knows he's headed straight for a screw-job. Robert Mitchum is perfect and Jane Greer plays her role to a tee. Great supporting performances from Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming as well. Jacques Tourneur's direction definitely has leftovers from his Val Lewton days (definitely not a criticism) and goes toe to toe with any other element of the movie. Out of the Past is also one of the best examples of film noir even if its not one of the best known.

• AJ V

  
  A great movie, it stars both Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas, so how could it be bad? I loved it.

• Randy T

  
  A film noir masterpiece, rich in genre staples and atmosphere.

• Jeremy S

  
  One of the best film noir films of all, a dark complex tale of a man's past catching up with him. There is so much to this movie. Absolutely Classic. JEFF BAILEY (Robert Mitchum): "You know, maybe I was wrong and luck is like love. You have to go all the way to find… More
  One of the best film noir films of all, a dark complex tale of a man's past catching up with him. There is so much to this movie. Absolutely Classic. JEFF BAILEY (Robert Mitchum): "You know, maybe I was wrong and luck is like love. You have to go all the way to find it." KATHIE MOFFAT (Jane Greer): "I think we deserve a break." JEFF BAILEY (Robert Mitchum): "We deserve each other."

• Conner R

  
  It's everything that film noir should be, one of my favorites. I think it is a five star movie aside from the poor narration, which always seems to be an issue with movies like this. I'm just not a fan of being beaten to death with what is going on inside a character's… More
  It's everything that film noir should be, one of my favorites. I think it is a five star movie aside from the poor narration, which always seems to be an issue with movies like this. I'm just not a fan of being beaten to death with what is going on inside a character's head. However, this is a great movie altogether. The acting is great, Kirk Douglas' debut as a scumbag gambler/gangster is flawless and Robert Mitchum is perfect for the character he played.

• Stella D

  
  the quintessential noir, a style that's had a huge influence on everyone from scorsese and tarantino to the coen brothers and david lynch, not to mention french new wave. robert mitchum gives his most perfect lethargic and world-weary performance

• Pierluigi P

  
  Mesmerizing build up of romance and tension by the snappy and captivating pen of Daniel Mainwaring (as Geoffrey Homes) and Jacques Tourneur's keen eye. They draw a vigorous and pulsating tale of a man with a tormented past that encloses emotional and business related attachments,… More
  Mesmerizing build up of romance and tension by the snappy and captivating pen of Daniel Mainwaring (as Geoffrey Homes) and Jacques Tourneur's keen eye. They draw a vigorous and pulsating tale of a man with a tormented past that encloses emotional and business related attachments, murder and betrayal. Robert Mitchum is the man who passively awaits for a dreadful fate, not without scrutinizing and sabotaging the people who damaged him first.

• Veronique K

  
  "out of the past" is one mighty example of the old proverb "women are not to be trusted"...jane greer is the incarnation of classic noir femme fatale who backstabs men for profits and survival, a giant rotten swelling beneath her strikingly angelic beauty. jeff… More
  "out of the past" is one mighty example of the old proverb "women are not to be trusted"...jane greer is the incarnation of classic noir femme fatale who backstabs men for profits and survival, a giant rotten swelling beneath her strikingly angelic beauty. jeff bailey(mitchum) is a private eye hired by mobster whit (kirk douglas) to retrack back his mistress kathey(greer) who shoots him four times then elope with $4000. as the moment bailey sees her, he's enchanted to her, so both of them together cheat whit to shelter upon the north for thier love-nest. unfortunately their traces are spotted that leades to one murder which also unravels the sordid darkside of kathey. then bailey recluses in some countryside to reform and seek a kind gentle woman as love companion until one day whit sends his sidekick for bailey.... spontaneously all the men in "out of the past" are chain-smokers who transcend fume circles into enigmatic white clouds that might be an indication of their masochistic empheral doom. everywhere mitchum goes, he ignites a cigarette even at the crucial moment of robbing important documentary. maybe their choice of the woman is the best eloquent case of such chronical suicidal tendency which reflects on non-stop smokings. both bailey and whit (mitchum and douglas) are shrewd men with sharply fierce sight to see things thru, but they still select to embrace the defying perils, such as bailey knows whit wanna frame him, but he still goes for it; whit understands kathey is no good but he still want her back at any cost. they're tough guys with imperious confidence preferring to be surrounded with apparent danger, enjoying messing up with beautiful dame who is utterly no good just like boys like to play with firecracker even it might blow them off into pieces. jane greer would be the best pretty poison for these two extraordinarily cocky men. in one dialogue, greer tries to persuade mitchum into her faux innocence, mitchum simply replies "oh baby, i don't care!"...men in "out of the past" are prodigals stuck in their transient life philosophy under the adrenlined sensations for the dazzling sparks, always some case, some feud, some unexpected doublecross to settle, eventually mitchum's character explodes by the forthcoming curse of his tragic flaws.

• jay n

  
  Very stylish and atmospheric, Jane Greer is a beautiful pit viper.

• Jason S

  
  Robert Mitchum plays this character well and you really have a lot of story in this flick. All of the characters are well played out and classic through the whole thing. This flick also has a bit of a very young Kirk Douglas.

• Eric B

  
  The problem with an old film being a signpost of its genre is that it can seem like nothing but cliches in the present day. Cigarettes, guns, dangerous dames, trenchcoats, corny narration, syrupy orchestrations, the overly "written" dialogue, yes yes. And all the women look… More
  The problem with an old film being a signpost of its genre is that it can seem like nothing but cliches in the present day. Cigarettes, guns, dangerous dames, trenchcoats, corny narration, syrupy orchestrations, the overly "written" dialogue, yes yes. And all the women look alike with their similar haircuts, makeup and solid-color dresses. I'm not much of a film-noir fan, but I hoped to enjoy this more than expected. No such luck. I'd much rather watch "Night of the Demon" again. Making Dickie Moore's character a deaf-mute was an interesting touch. Not sure how this detail helped the story.

• rocko p

  
  Full of dames and retired gangsters Kirk Douglas and a pinball wizard. ME WANT MORE NOIR.

• Dimitris S

  
  A blast of passionate mechanisms and bleak schemes of the heart,of the blackboard malevolence...Mitchum is simply astonishing as a cult figure of this classic Tourner film,erotic under the silken impression given by Greer's obsessive quietness and oh those shadows...

• Buddy A

  
  Virtually every element of classic film noir can be found in this compelling Tourneur film. Expressionistic lighting highlights a script with great Hemingway-style dialogue, and between Mitchum and Douglas (who both turn in excellent performances here), there is enough machismo in… More
  Virtually every element of classic film noir can be found in this compelling Tourneur film. Expressionistic lighting highlights a script with great Hemingway-style dialogue, and between Mitchum and Douglas (who both turn in excellent performances here), there is enough machismo in this film that it could be cut and spread with a knife. Greer is the classic femme fatale (and is stunningly beautiful to boot), and Fleming is captivating as usual. All in all, this is a great movie, and I can recommend it highly.

• Robert F

  
  Even though it was relatively easy to follow, I didn't really understand what was going on. But it was still ok - I don't watch many old B&W movies. Everyone smoked! About 10 cigarettes were lit up every scene. In fact, in real life, Robert Mitchum died of lung cancer… More
  Even though it was relatively easy to follow, I didn't really understand what was going on. But it was still ok - I don't watch many old B&W movies. Everyone smoked! About 10 cigarettes were lit up every scene. In fact, in real life, Robert Mitchum died of lung cancer and emphysema.

Read all 18 featured audience ratings