Out of the Past

A small-town gas station owner (Robert Mitchum) finds his past has caught up with him when a gambler (Kirk Douglas) sends word he wants to see him.

Out of the Past is an extremely well written film noir, highlighted by great performances from Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas.

Sporting some of the best dialog this side of Raymond Chandler, Out of the Past crackles with every line. The screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring, from his novel “Build My Gallows High” is twisted and refreshingly respectful of the viewer’s intelligence as it darts through its labyrinthine plot. Characters converse in the same shorthand manner that David Mamet echoes so well today, not so much talking as verbally sparring in an almost poetic manner.

Mitchum is great as the reluctant hero. Tough enough to be believable, but able to convey a wide range of emotions in a single glance, Mitchum is tailor made for the film-noir genre. It’s a real shame he wouldn’t play Chandler’s Philip Marlow until 28 years after this film, as he’d of been perfect in the role.

Opposite Mitchum, Kirk Douglas is exquisite as a gambler who hates to lose. Douglas, in only his second film, already commands a huge presence and seems like a veteran. Despite being physically smaller than the imposing Mitchum, Douglas nonetheless seems just as large on screen.

Jane Greer is good as the femme fatale, although Mitchum and Douglas easily overshadow her. This, combined with the ending (which we’ll discuss later), are the film’s only weaknesses.

Director Jacques Tourneur delivers a visually splendid film. Shattering the film-noir mold with scenes set in quiet mountain streams, beaches, and dense woods, Tourneur still manages to infuse these scenes with the same oppressive dread that lies at the heart of the genre. Sure, there’s the requisite amount of asphalt and metal, but Tourneur proves that film-noir is a state of mind, not a location.

Unfortunately, Out of the Past isn’t quite perfect, and it stumbles badly at its conclusion. It’s clear where Mainwaring wanted to go with the ending, and I respect him and Tourneur for eschewing a more typical finale, but Mitchum’s character’s actions toward the end seem forced, with little or no precedent as to why he would suddenly either give up, or catch a case of the stupids.

Still, it’s a testament to the picture’s strength that it’s not undone by the weak ending, a flaw that would have surely killed a lesser film.