Out of the Past has what I consider to be one of the most thought-provoking movie endings I’ve ever seen. Directed by Jacques Tourneur, the 1947 film noir explores the story of a private detective who gets drawn back into his complicated past just when he’s trying to build a better life for himself. With a cast that includes A-list stars such as Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas, Out of the Past is often recognized as one of the greatest film noir movies of all time, and justifiably so.

In terms of its underlying premise, Out of the Past isn’t exactly groundbreaking or particularly unique. The movie follows Robert Mitchum’s Jeff Markham, a man who made some mistakes in his life as a private detective when he got himself entangled with a gangster’s girlfriend and a scheme involving stolen money. The movie begins with Jeff in the process of enjoying a new and more peaceful life as Jeff Bailey. Unfortunately, the happy future that Jeff is looking forward to is threatened when both the gangster and his girlfriend re-enter his life, resulting in Jeff getting framed for murder.

Out Of The Past’s Big Finale Is The Complete Opposite Of “The Hollywood Ending”

Out Of The Past Has A Truly Unexpected Ending

Someone having their shady past getting used against them isn’t unusual on its own, but exactly how Out of the Past chooses to wrap up its story is what makes the film stand out from the crowd as Robert Mitchum’s best film noir movie. Jeff’s main objective in the movie is to clear his name so that he can move on with the life he plans to have with the woman he loves, Virginia Huston’s Ann Miller. In most Hollywood films that follow such a plotline, that’s probably what would have happened. But Out of the Past defies the usual expectations of a Hollywood film in more ways than one. After all, Jeff doesn’t come close to getting what he wants.

For much of the movie, Jeff is forced to team up with Jane Greer’s Kathie Moffat, the woman who dragged him into this mess in the first place. Jeff understands her morally questionable nature from his past experiences with her, but in a testament to how much he’s changed, he resists her efforts to resume their relationship and focuses on stopping the movie’s villain, Kirk Douglas’ Whit Sterling. Jeff seemingly plays along with Kathie, and finds out that she killed Whit. At the end of the movie, Jeff and Kathie shockingly die together when they come against a police roadblock, with Kathie shooting Jeff for refusing to help her.

Jeff is hardly the first movie hero to meet a sad fate at the end of the film, but that in and of itself isn’t what’s so jarring about Out of the Past’s ending. What’s so surprising is that Jeff doesn’t succeed in clearing his name, and remains framed for murder. It then offers an extra gut punch, with Jeff’s best friend – a mute co-worker at the gas station – lying to Ann when she asks if Jeff was going to run away with Kathie. His love interest spends the movie defiantly believing that everyone is wrong about Jeff, but ends Out of the Past accepting the lie that he was guilty all along of the crimes he was being accused of.

Out Of The Past’s Tragic Ending Is What Makes It So Good

It’s One Of The Genre’s Most Powerful Moments

Out of the Past’s ending is sad, to a point where – at least initially – it can be seen as disappointing, in that it hardly provides a rewarding conclusion to Jeff’s story. In a sense, it can even come across as anticlimactic on the first watch. But the power of Out of the Past is revealed by the impression it leaves, as I found myself thinking about Out of the Past long after I had watched it, still unsatisfied with the fate it had dealt Jeff.

When I first saw the movie, I questioned (and strongly disagreed with) the decision of Jeff’s friend, when he shockingly declined an opportunity to speak up for Jeff and declare his innocence. But while the film doesn’t say it outright, there’s a meaningful message within Out of the Past’s ending, one that can’t be found on the surface. I recognize now that the boy believed that Ann continued to go on believing that Jeff was innocent, she would never move on.

Out of the Past handles its story and its characters so deftly that it makes you want Jeff to succeed, and that desire not being fulfilled is a big part of what makes it resonate so strongly. But ultimately, it serves as a poignant reminder that “the good guy” doesn’t always win. That may be the outcome in an ideal ending, the one that most moviegoers want and expect to see when they head to the theaters, but it’s not always the most realistic scenario. Out of the Past epitomizes that idea in its willingness to kill off Jeff, leave his reputation sullied, and have his love interest embrace a lie.

Few Movies Define The Film Noir Genre Better Than Out Of The Past

Out Of The Past Set The Standard

This sort of approach is what film noir is supposed to be. Film noir movies reject Hollywood stereotypes in favor of darker themes that better represent the worst aspects of human nature and life in general. It’s because of this that the twists and turns in film noir movies are much more difficult to predict in comparison to more traditional action or mystery movies. Not knowing if the hero will persevere, defeat the villain, and enjoy a happy ending has a lot to do with what drives the entertainment factor of a film noir movie.

Truthfully, though, not all film noir movies are in line with this particular face of the genre. In fact, some of the most popular film noir movies have been known to break with that, offering a more traditional happy ending for their heroes that can sometimes clash with the overall tone of their stories. Perfect examples of this are Laura, Gilda, and The Blue Dahlia. Out of the Past, on the other hand, is thorough in its implementation of all the best film noir elements, from the femme fatale, to the flawed protagonist, to the unorthodox ending. All things considered, it’s no surprise Roger Ebert called the movie “one of the greatest of all film noirs.”