Out of the Past
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Movie Reviews of Out of the Past
Movie Review: SUPERB NOIR CLASSIC.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Among the spate of b&w noir films recently released by Universal and Warner's is this classic. Directed on a somewhat higher budget than most noirs of the 40's, Jacques Tourneur used his considerable skill honed on his 40's noir horror films with Val Lewton to fashion a first class thriller of deceit, lies, double crosses, murder, blackmail etc. all wrapped up with a first rate cast. One time gum shoe Robert Mitchum (now running a small town gas station) is tracked down and hired by Kirk Douglas to find his runaway mistress (Jane Greer) who shot him and ran off with $40,000. He finds her in Acapulco and immediately falls for her deceptive charms. She's a femme fatale with more traps in her web than a black widow spider. Of course, things get complicated (there's a murder and Mitchum disposes of the body) and soon Greer is back with Douglas and Mitchum is up to his neck again with another "job"...from Douglas. Mitchum is torn between his love for a good girl (Virginia Huston) and the wily machinations of Greer. And this time, he suspects he's being set up as a fall guy by Greer and Douglas. But Greer has her hooks in him good and it looks as if no one will win. Rhonda Fleming is another bad girl Mitchum contends with and there's more murder and mayhem to be dealt with as the walls close in on everyone. "Out of the Past" is an incredibly entertaining film that pulls you in and doesn't let up. Mitchum narrates the first part of the story (telling how he got involved to Huston) in typical fatalistic deadpan style. This is one of the all-time greats and the DVD print is really crisp and clean. A definite collector's item.Movie Review: Out of the past
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie begins with Bailey, a gas station owner in a sleepy town. Bailey is a good looking mild tempered man, he is courting a gorgeous girl and it is raising allot of controversy within the small town. People in the town can't handle the fact that bailey is quiet, doesn't gossip much and is always keeping to himself. The mysteriousness of bailey creates allot of rumors and much distrust.
A stranger shows up looking for bailey and that only makes the rumors about him worsen. He accompanies the stranger, who is actually an old friend to Whit Sterling's, who Bailey used to work for, in order to confront mistakes he made in the past.
many years before he was hired to find Whit's girlfriend kathy who shot whit and preceded to steel $40,000 from him. Bailey, who was at the time a detective, tracked Kathy to mexico where he finally met up with her. Since Kathy is the classic femme fatal, Bailey instantly changed his mind and abandoned his mission, instead him and kathy started to see each other. They made plans to be together and moved around in order to avoid Whit finding them. Kathy ends up killing Bailey's ex detective partner and then leaves Bailey.
Until the reunion with Whit, bailey had heard nothing more of Kathy and had moved on. Upon arriving to Whit's Bailey finds out that Kathy returned to Whit, he is disgusted as he expresses by saying "You're like a leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another." Whit is not angry but just wants the money paid to bailey to be repaid to him in the form of another job.
I really enjoyed this movie it was easy to follow and had an interesting plot.
Movie Review: Film Noir at it's very best
Summary: 5 Stars
Out of the Past is a classic detective story, practically defining the genre of Film Noir. Jeff Bailey is the ill-fated detective who, unable to escape his past, is dragged right back into the game. Jeff's employer is Whit Sterling, who hires him twice: once to find his seductive blonde, Kathie Moffat, and again to clean up some dirty tax business. After betraying Whit by running off with Kathie, Jeff withdraws from his former life, running a gas station in a small town, and falling in love. Little does his new lover know that Jeff's secret past, told to her in flashback form, will soon catch up with him and destroy their former relationship...
The film's Noir elements, contrasted with many original elements throughout, masterfully provide insight into the modern world. Bailey's small town home appears open, airy, and wonderfully natural. He seems to live peacefully among a small group of loyal friends, like his deaf-mute companion The Kid. The shock comes when the classic Noir elements appear. The crowded, dark streets of San Francisco show the maze of urban society; the accountant's secretary proves the deception inherent in modern humanity; and these elements appear consistently in the genre. Noir's dark view of today's industrial society permeates this film as well.
Common Noir scenes also appear frequently. Jeff tells his past during a dark car ride, an element that shows up in other Noir's like Kiss Me Deadly. The femme fatale also appears, though Jeff handles this situation much more skillfully than many of his fellow fall guys. Don't be surprised if he falls, though. They always do...
Movie Review: A Classic Noir from Out of the Past
Summary: 5 Stars
Humphrey Bogart could have starred in OUT OF THE PAST. He wanted to do so, but Warner wouldn't loan him out to RKO. John Garfield and Dick Powell turned the part down. So in stepped Robert Mitchum: his first starring role. And he gave a performance that instantly made him RKO's number one male star. Also memorable was the performance of Jane Greer; now widely regarded as one of the best femme fatales of all-time. Interestingly, her coy smile is the result of a battle with Bell's palsy in her youth. Lastly, Kirk Douglas capitalized on a very small role. The impact he made is especially notable, given his role isn't much larger than a cameo.
But the real star here is director Jacques Tourneur, because the "look" of the film is perhaps it's greatest asset. In my opinion, it is reminiscent of his work for producer Val Lewton. Here, in combination with veteran noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca and noir art directors Albert S. D'Agostino and Jack Okey, Tourneur created perhaps the most consistently beautiful Hollywood noir film.
In addition, the visuals are supported by some very able screenwriting. Novelist, Daniel Mainwaring adapted his own original work, which was then edited by James M. Cain and Frank Fenton, both uncredited.
A superior noir film, and a favourite of many noir aficionados. If you are a film noir fan, don't miss this one!
The DVD is also included in The Film Noir Classic Collection: Volume 1. I was not distracted by any print or sound elements, and I found the James Ursini commentary to be an enjoyable Special Feature.
Movie Review: One of the best films of its genre!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is for the 2004 Warner Brothers DVD.
The storyline of this movie revolves around a rural gas station owner in Nevada named Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum). Bailey is dating a sweet and innocent girl named a Meta Carson (Jane Greer). One day a man comes to town looking for Bailey. As it turns out, Bailey has a secret past as a private detective who was once hired to find a beautiful and dangerous woman named Kathy Moffit (Jane Greer) for a corrupt millionaire named Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas). The assignment went wrong in many ways, but Bailey is coerced back to do one more job for Sterling. From this point on there is an elaborate and convoluted scheme of deception and betrayal.
Overall, the film has a great film noir look to it and the story is gripping. Mitchum does a stellar job as the cunning detective and Jane Greer is absolutely irresistible. Kirk Douglas also sparkles in this movie. It's also worth noting that this movie was later remade in the early '80s starring Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward in "Against All Odds".
The DVD quality is near pristine overall, but some small specs of film deterioration could be seen once in a while during the course of the movie. The only bonus feature is commentary by film noir author James Ursini.
PLEASE NOTE: Before buying this DVD, consider buying the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 which contains this movie plus four other highly recommended movies at a very reasonable price.
Movie: A
DVD Quality: A-