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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.
The most delicate and nuanced of film noirs, graced with a reflective lyricism that almost lifts it out of the genre.
One of the greatest of all film noirs.
It's very snappy and quite intriguingly played by a cast that has been well and smartly directed by Jacques Tourneur.
Cinematic perfection, a Hollywood classic that's as great and as enjoyable as its reputation has promised.
One of the best-loved '40s era contributions to the film noir genre, Director Jacques Tourneur's "Out of the Past" (1947) is a definitive model.
Few films noir were better than this.
Jacques Tourneuer's most accomplished film and a great sampler of film noir, sort of a textbook both visually and thematically.
Out of the Past should be considered a prototypical example of how to do noir the right way--shadowy corners, double crossings aplenty, a luscious femme fatale, and, of course, murders.
What makes "Out of the Past" stand out among the film noir classics is that it has better actors, a better screenplay and it doesn't look like it was made on the cheap.
Beautiful thriller, with haunting direction.
An irresistible blend of postwar fatalism, hard-boiled dialogue, dangerous sex and luscious black-and-whites ... the slouching, sleepy-eyed Mitchum is arguably the consummate noir hero.
All these B movie poets were under contract to RKO in the winter of 1946, and produced the best movie of everyone involved -- once seen, never forgotten.
The first starring role for Robert Mitchum (both John Garfield and Dick Powell turned down the part) is a beauty.
Mitchum seems always on the verge of falling into a coma, even when he's romancing a beautiful woman, his dry, droll commentary barely making it past the end of his tongue.
Mitchum's sad-eyed countenance is perfect for the world-weary, dead-eyed defeatist he plays.
Out of the Past is as much an archetype for its history-coming-back-to-haunt-you plot as it is for Robert Mitchum's toweringly strong performance.
Jacques Tourneur directed one of the all-time greatest film noirs with Out of the Past, which also gave Robert Mitchum one of his two greatest roles.
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