Kidrex’s review published on Letterboxd:
Out of the Past begins in an idyllic small town in rural Bridgeport, California. Robert Mitchum stars as Jeff Bailey, owner of the local gas station who employs a loyal deaf kid, and courts a wholesome young woman from the town. He is a man with a past trying to make good. A stranger arrives in town and drags Jeff back to the sordid life he tried so desperately to escape. The film has a complicated plot that first delves into Jeff's past before propelling him forward. The story is a series of escapes and pursuits through New York, Florida, Acapulco, and San Francisco.
One of the great strengths of the film is the clarity through which its complex, sordid tale unfolds. Through all its twists, it manages to avoid confusion. What makes it successful in this regard is an assured rhythm it develops through its cycles of seeking and evading. Its characters are always either hunting for someone, or trying to evade their hunters or both. At the center, is our protagonist (Mitchum), the villain (Whit Sterling, played by Kirk Douglas), and the woman who comes between them, Kathie, played by Jane Greer.
The clarity is also enhanced by the compelling nature of our hero and our villain. Both are refreshingly intelligent, and their cat and mouse game becomes all the more compelling because they are such worthy adversaries of each other. Both men, as well as Kathie, are engaged in a futile battle against their roosters coming home to roost. The film's major theme is the inevitability of the consequences of our decisions. Bridgeport, where we begin and end, represents the elusive redemption that achingly remains just out of reach.