Review of Out of the Past (1947) by Tom M — 22 Jan 2011

Of all the most-classic of noirs, of which I love many, Out of the Past is easily one of my favorites. Mitchum is a great fatalistic private dick, Kirk Douglas plays the heel better than anyone, and Jane Greer is believably fatale. It's incredibly intelligent and just keeps pilling on the layers. The whole thing is just so competent and deftly composed. The dialogue is distinguished and biting and has more than requisite wit and savvy, indeed few films have as many classic lines as this, and few classic lines are as smart as these. There's more wisdom in the script for this movie than anyone could possibly process in one viewing.

Toward the end theres a moment where things get minorly convoluted, but it works its way out of it quickly. In my book it easily rivals many of the more widely embraced Bogart films of the same genre. Truly classic, and not just because people seem think they should say so.