Out of the Past

Out of the Past offers a lot of plot twists, great dialogue and tense situations, with the fantastic Kirk Douglas in a supporting role. However, neither of the lead actors is well managed by the director, due to which the surprising ending comes across as strange and unsatisfying. (20/08/2017)

A great genre piece with excellent dialogs and some snappy one-liners from Mitchum in the main role. Unexpectedly experimental in terms of form. The narration alternates in terms of type and tempo, unraveling the story down to its core and a surprising ending. P.S.: Good old Kirk Douglas rocks in this, one of his first movie roles. (03/12/2021)

The first half is a supreme example of classic noir, where the narrative on two levels is completely immersive and the characters act unpredictably, yet logically and inevitably. In the second half, when the plot moves purely into the present, the script runs out of steam and the direction gets a bit stale, but for the dramatic and again logical climax, the plus points go back to the filmmakers. Definitely a must-have textbook for enthusiasts. (11/08/2017)

I've probably seen so many film noir movies lately that I need to take a break from them. This genre has always fascinated me a lot, and I would like to write something in it someday, but "Out of the Past" is not as great as I thought. I was expecting something slightly different from Tourneur because his previous films amazed me. It's a good noir film, but it's not as amazing as I thought. (06/10/2014)