Review of Out of the Past (1947) by David U — 24 Aug 2005
[b]Out of the Past[/b] is a whirlwind of lust and deceit that immediately leaves one craving for more. The screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring, based on his own novel, not only takes the time to develop the main characters, but contains incisively deriding banter, and an astoundingly labyrinthine plot, rife with double- and triple-crosses, in a very short runtime.
Robert Mitchum is iconic as Jeff Bailey, a world-weary ex-private eye seeking to begin a new life. The relationship between Bailey and Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer), the femme fatale, is mutually masochistic and fatalistic.
Through an excellent use of flashback at the beginning of the story, an idyllic romance is established between the two. The romantic chemistry between the two leads is electric, establishing deeply-plumbing bonds between the characters in a short amount of time.
Moffat's beau, Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas), who hired Bailey to find her, continually stands in the way. Kirk Douglas is cunningly twisted as Sterling in one of his first film roles. The following machinations of blackmail, possession, and murder I will not disclose, but it is unbelievably twisted, while remaining very taut, and upon repeat viewings, is still addictively watchable, with an unforgettable ending.
The cinematography creates an intoxicatingly dark mood, with Nicholas Musuraca's background in horror lending to excellent use of shadows and darkness. The score by Roy Webb also hits the right emotional crescendoes.
This definitive film noir, while not as popular as others, should not be missed.
This review of Out of the Past (1947) was written by David U on 24 Aug 2005.
Out of the Past has generally received very positive reviews.
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