Out of the Past, is a particularly unique example in the genre of film noir; while most of the shots are lit for night, the shadows are not as prominent. In terms of representing the genre, most of the scenes do not take advantage of the use of shadow that often covers faces and bodies and sometimes, as a result, even distorts a character’s appearance.The film is narrated, focusing mainly upon a flashback to drive the plot forward. In terms of the setting, it is showing a common trait of the genre.Most of the scenes take place in urban locations, despite a few scenes shot in the country, while the nature scenes that are shot even in the calmest places are darkened.