The film noir genre is a murky exploration of the human soul, and Roger Ebert clearly had a favorite when writing about a certain Robert Mitchum classic. Rising in popularity in the post-WWII years, film noir juxtaposes stylized visuals with twisting crime stories about conflicted characters. Drawing inspiration from the German expressionist movement from the silent era of movies, the name itself literally means black film in French. Unlike previous crime films, the classic era of film noir was notably cynical, which was in direct conflict with the optimistic atтιтude of the late 1940s and early 1950s in the US.

Despite the fact that noir has obvious tropes, it is also a surprisingly flexible genre that has managed to change with the times. Classic film noir gave way to the neo-noir movement, which has also given way to more ambitious ideas such as tech-noir as seen in films like Blade Runner. No matter how much the genre changes on the surface, the basic principles haven’t changed since the 1940s. Cynicism is what makes noir so compelling, and legendary film critic Roger Ebert thought a beloved movie from 1947 did noir better than almost all the rest, and he isn’t wrong.

Robert Mitchum’s Jeff Bailey Is The Perfect Film Noir Protagonist

Embodying The Tropes While Adding Something New As Well

In his 2004 review of Out of the Past, the late Roger Ebert spent the entire write-up gushing about the classic film from 1947. However, he also paid particular attention to the performance of Robert Mitchum, the actor that Ebert himself called his all-time favorite. Mitchum plays ex-private investigator Jeff Bailey, who is pressed back into service by a former employer who he had once double-crossed. Bailey is forced to leave behind the idyllic life he has found for himself, and delve back into the seedy underbelly of the life he left behind.

In the pantheon of film noir anti-heroes, Jeff Bailey is the quintessential figure because he embodies all the tropes while also adding a few more as well. Tough-talking gumshoes like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade were already well-established by 1947, and yet Bailey doesn’t feel like a re-hash of those pulp fiction icons. Bailey is a wise-cracking tough-guy, but he is also bitingly funny in a way that would make those previous characters seem disingenuous. There is a fatalism to his character that is the anтιтhesis of the “do anything to stay alive” atтιтude of the aforementioned protagonists.

Robert Mitchum’s five highest-rated movies include:

Part of Bailey’s perfection is Robert Mitchum’s performance, but the deft writing of the character can’t be ignored. Bailey knows that he’s being set up throughout the story, but he purposefully walks into the proverbial noose without ever having to discuss his reasons why. Deep down, Bailey knows that the sins of his past were inevitably going to come back to haunt him, and instead of fighting them, he allows himself to get drawn back into the muddy swamp that spawned him. Most noir protagonists are doomed from the start, but few are so acutely aware as Mitchum’s Jeff Bailey.

Out Of The Past Is One Of The Best Film Noir Movies Ever Made

A Near-Perfect Movie That Captures The Soul Of Film Noir

Film noir is a distinctly American genre, and its rise in popularity in the post-WWII years was no accident or coincidence. Out of the Past deserves its place among the other great film noir movies because it is a technical masterpiece, and because it captures the spirit of the genre to perfection. Roger Ebert called it one of the best of all time, and he was writing with the benefit of hindsight. Noir has stood the test of time, but few continue to find new life with each pᴀssing decade.

Out of the Past still manages to surprise and challenge the viewer, even as cynicism has become common in mainstream cinema. That’s because its cynicism isn’t just tied to the dark memories of the Great Depression and WWII, but it’s actually a dissection of the human condition in general. Bailey’s downward spiral is largely self-inflicted, but he can’t seem to find the will to pull himself away. The story could be transplanted to any decade and still be just as strong, and its use of multiple flashbacks is an ambitious approach to noir storytelling.

Visually speaking, Out of the Past is a gorgeous movie, but it eschews the usual cityscapes and dark alleys of other popular noir films. Instead, it focuses on the inward experience, and uses small set-pieces to illustrate what is going on between the characters. Roger Ebert specifically points out a harrowing confrontation between Kirk Douglas’ character and Mitchum’s Bailey, and the critic correctly notes the subtle use of images to portray the roiling emotions going on within the men. Film noir is rarely subtle, but Out of the Past is great because it allows the viewer to think for themselves.