Out of the Past (1947)

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Writers: Daniel Mainwaring, James M. Cain, Frank Fenton

Composer: Roy Webb

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb, Steve Brodie, Virginia Huston, Paul Valentine, Dickie Moore, Ken Niles

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A MAN - Trying to run away from his past... A WOMAN - Trying to escape her future!

Plot: 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.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

The first time I saw this was in a theater and I dug it but I didn't see it then as the classic it was hailed to be.  Now I do.  I'm still not convinced that Mitchum was the right guy for the roll.  His delivery feels off sometimes.  Otherwise, he's great.  I love the complex relationship between Jeff (Mitchum), Kathie (Greer), Whit (Douglas) and Meta (Fleming).  The first half feels by the numbers but it's the second half where the shit hits the fan and the betrayals begin.  That's the fun stuff.  And hey!  It's got Dickie Moore from the OUR GANG shorts of the early 30s before the series went to shit at MGM.  The sole extra on the Warner Bros. DVD is a commentary by Jim Ursini.  Really?  They couldn't be bothered to throw in more stuff for this picture?  Whatever.