Out of the Past (1947)

Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Paul Valentine, Virginia Huston, Rhonda Fleming, Steve Brodie, Richard Webb, Ken Niles, Dickie Moore.

Private-eye-turned-gas-station-owner Mitchum finds he can’t escape his past when he’s summoned by an old “friend,” shady fixer/operator Douglas, and is tasked with tracking down the gangster’s larcenous moll (Greer), which sinks him into a cesspit of danger, dames, double-crosses, and so on. One of the definitive noirs of the 1940s, with director Tourneur and screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring emphasizing hardboiled characterizations and mood over the nefarious gear-shifts of the plot and nocturnal visual gimmicks the sub-genre is known for. Mitchum’s laconic indifference is given a violent shake by infatuation and betrayal, Douglas’ crisp charisma brilliantly conceals his sinister heart, and enigmatic Greer makes for a prime treacherous femme fatale whose pitilessness is exposed gradually, layer by layer. Logic and character intent become convoluted (even confusing) in the last act, but not to the detriment of enjoying a twisting melodrama purely for its texture and portentous pulse. Adapted from Mainwaring’s novel, “Build My Gallows High,” the title of which is quoted by Mitchum late in the picture. Remade in 1984 as Against All Odds.

90/100