A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and dup... Read allA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
- Awards
- 1 win
Brooks Benedict
- Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club
- (uncredited)
Oliver Blake
- Tillotson - Night Clerk
- (uncredited)
Eumenio Blanco
- Mexican Waiter
- (uncredited)
Wesley Bly
- Harlem Club Headwaiter
- (uncredited)
Mildred Boyd
- Woman at Harlem Club
- (uncredited)
Hubert Brill
- Car Manipulator
- (uncredited)
James Bush
- Doorman
- (uncredited)
Ted Collins
- Man at Harlem Club
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Daniel Mainwaring
- James M. Cain(uncredited)
- Frank Fenton(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRobert Mitchum told Roger Ebert he smoked so much that when the camera was rolling and Kirk Douglas offered him a pack and asked, "Cigarette?" Mitchum, realizing he'd carried a cigarette into the scene, held up his fingers and replied, "Smoking." His improvisation saved the take and they kept it in the movie.
- GoofsLeonard Eels' apartment at 114 Fulton Street would be part of the block then occupied by the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (now the Asian Art Museum).
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsEdited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
- SoundtracksThe First Time I Saw You
(uncredited)
Music by Nathaniel Shilkret
From The Toast of New York (1937)
Used as main theme in score
Featured review
Utterly brilliant movie which is a strong contender for the greatest film-noir ever made.
I have been a fan of Jacques Tourneur's horror movies ('Cat People', 'Night Of The Demon', 'I Walked With A Zombie',etc.) for many years, but for some reason I hadn't seen 'Out Of The Past' until very recently. Regarded by many noir buffs as one of the very best examples of the genre, if not THE best, it knocked my socks off! Some movies are so good that you almost can't believe they exist. 'Vertigo', 'Rashomon', 'Taxi Driver', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'The Wild Bunch', 'The Wages Of Fear', these are some titles that immediately spring to mind. Your jaw just drops in amazement, and repeated viewing reveal more layers and levels of enjoyment. 'Out Of The Past' now joins that group of very special movies for me. Tourneur's horror classics are brilliant works, but this movie surpasses them all to me. Everything about this movie is superb. The direction, photography, script (which crime legend James M. Cain of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' and 'Double Indemnity' fame contributed to anonymously), and the actors. The cast are all good, but Robert Mitchum steals the show with a first rate performance, second only in my opinion to his unforgettable role in the extraordinary 'Night Of The Hunter'. The beautiful Jane Greer is also excellent, as is Kirk Douglas. If you want to get into film-noir and understand just how influential it was on subsequent movies, make 'Out Of The Past' your first stop. It is a masterpiece, pure and simple. I know this movie will be in my life for a very long time, and that gives me a lot of satisfaction. 'Out Of The Past' comes with my highest recommendation. I can't put into words just how great this movie is, so just watch it for yourself.
helpful•386
- Infofreak
- May 26, 2003
Details
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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