Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to know that you’re wandering into a true classic, and that was the case with this 1940’s film noir entitled Out of the Past. I didn’t really know very much about it going in except that it was considered one of the best film noirs of all time and that it starred Robert Mitchum. This was my introduction to Mr. Mitchum, and I must say I can’t wait to watch more of his films. He is cool, and this movie is cool. I was absolutely enthralled in the first half, not as interested in the second half, but I very much enjoyed this movie, and it definitely peaked my interest to take a look at more film noir.

The first part of the movie is told in flashback, as a small town gas pumper Jeff Bailey (Mitchum) finds himself face to face with an old friend and he tells his girlfriend a secret past of his that’s about to catch up with him. He used to be a detective, and he took on a rather controversial case in which a young woman (or in this case, a “dame” as they’re sometimes considered) shot her lover and took off with $40,000 of his money. The man hired Bailey to find her, not to fall in love with her. Once he finds her, he finds he has an instant attraction, and he wonders maybe it would be best to not give her over so easily. In the present Jeff realizes that the past has come back and that this case isn’t exactly over yet as he may have assumed.

The film has an engaging storyline and jubilant pace, but it’s the actors that make it a stand-out motion picture. I really loved this first opportunity watching Robert Mitchum on the screen. I believe he’s in a 50’s movie called Night at the Hunter that I’d like to see sometime soon. He oozes charisma almost as much as Humphrey Bogart in film noirs like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. He is someone you learn to love but not necessarily like. He has a bad boy quality about him that’s too hard to ignore, but he’s so cool that you can’t help but sympathize with the problematic situations he finds himself buried in.

The other two major actors make memorable impressions. Kirk Douglas, in an early role, is the ultimate smarmy bad guy, and it’s surprising he didn’t continue to play such roles later in his career. I’m not hugely familiar with Douglas’s career, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t play too many villains in his lifetime. He actually reminds the audience of his son Michael Douglas a little bit in this, a young Michael from a movie like Wall Street. He says what he wants and gets what he wants, with nothing to stand in his way. Jane Greer, who I’ve also never seen in a film before, is just stunning in this. Tall and curvy, with a smoking habit like none other, she’s a femme fatale that stands alongside Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. Greer is fantastic in this.

Film noirs are really fun to get lost in, and Out of the Past is no exception. I loved the look and feel of the movie, along with the aformentioned storyline and performances. While the 1940’s hasn’t been my favorite decade for movies since the artform was still expanding and experimenting, and the movies still have a little bit of a formal way about them, it’s a lot of fun to go back to past and revisit these old movies. Out of the Past is a lot of fun, and I’m glad I spent time with Jeff Bailey and his story. Mitchum is superb. Night of the Hunter, here I come.