Out of the Past (1947)

A film directed by Jacques Tourneur, based on Geoffrey Homes's novel  Build My Gallows High. The film noir is about detective Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), a dame that's up to no good (Jane Greer) and the grinning-mobster (Kirk Douglas). It's a gripping tale set near Lake Tahoe, California where Jeff Bailey leads an easy life in a small town until an acquaintance from his past brings him back to the troubles he's left behind. And you'll have to see the movie to find out how Jane Greer seduces everyone in her path and then leaves them lying flat.



The film reminded me of The Killers (1946) with Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner. Practically an identical plot with a different ending, different dame and different detective. What was fantastic about Out of the Past was the screenplay by Geoffrey Homes. It was witty and as usual delivered with perfect non-chalant, tough-guy attitude.