Out of the Past (1947)
Movie rating: 6/10
Roger Ebert spoke for many critics when he described Out of the Past as “one of the greatest of all film noirs.” The 1947 picture directed by Jacques Tourneur has a 95% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 9/10.
On the surface, the film makes a strong argument for itself. It has a strong cast led by Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas in an early role. It has moody cinematography and crackling dialogue. Mitchum and Greer are terrific: he as the tough guy and world-weary former private eye, she as the manipulative femme fatale. The pair have strong chemistry, their repartee dripping with sexual innuendo that pushes the boundaries of what the 1940s MPAA was willing to tolerate. For the first half of the movie, I was completely on board and following each plot twist.
Unfortunately, in its second half the movie’s plot becomes a bit too complicated and convoluted for its own good. Its atmosphere, imagery, and strong performances kept me engaged, but my attention started to falter as I became increasingly lost in terms of each character’s motivations and goals. Perhaps that says more about me than the film itself. One could argue that the audience is supposed to be uncertain in this kind of story. Moral shades of grey, doublecrossing, and murky allegiances are common to film noir. Here though, it ended up taking me out of the story and detracted from my enjoyment of the film.
Worth a watch for its strong technical qualities, performances and dialogue, but the often confusing plot takes this one down a few points for me.
Absolutely agree with this. Was expecting to enjoy this much more than I did. The atmosphere is great; dialogue is everything I'd want in a noir; Mitchum is the epitome of cool. However, the plot was too confusing and didn't feel focused enough to hold my attention.