Synopsis
Jeff Bailey seems to be a mundane gas station owner in remote Bridgeport, California. He is dating local girl Ann Miller and lives a quiet life. But Jeff has a secret past, and when a mysterious stranger arrives in town, Jeff is forced to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.
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Cast
- Robert MitchumJeff Bailey / Jeff Markham
- Jane GreerKathie Moffat
- Kirk DouglasWhit Sterling
- Rhonda FlemingMeta Carson
- Richard WebbJim
- Steve BrodieJack Fisher
- Virginia HustonAnn Miller
- Paul ValentineJoe Stephanos
- Dickie MooreThe Kid
- Ken NilesLeonard Eels
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
Out of the Past is one of the greatest of all film noirs, the story of a man who tries to break with his past and his weakness and start over again in a town, with a new job and a new girl. - 100
The Dissolve
Out Of The Past is undeniably a film noir, and rightly regarded as one of the genre’s best. - 100
San Francisco Chronicle
Out of the Past is cinematic perfection, a Hollywood classic that's as great and as enjoyable as its reputation has promised. - 90
Chicago Reader
The most delicate and nuanced of film noirs, graced with a reflective lyricism that almost lifts it out of the genre. - 90
The A.V. Club
Quintessential noir. - 80
The New Yorker
The intricate story moves through New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico, and picturesque points in between, but Tourneur cooks up shot-by-shot surprises that outdo those of the screenplay. - 70
Los Angeles Times
The players acquit themselves histrionically if not morally. Mitchum, [Kirk] Douglas and the Misses [Jane] Greer and [Rhonda] Fleming are all commendable. - 70
Variety
Out of the Past is a hardboiled melodrama [from the novel by Geoffrey Homes] strong on characterization. Direction by Jacques Tourneur pays close attention to mood development, achieving realistic flavor that is further emphasized by real life settings and topnotch lensing by Nicholas Musuraca.
