Double Indemnity (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
One of the great examples of film noir to emerge from Hollywood during the 1940s was this film, 'Double Indemnity' (directed by the great Billy Wilder, also of Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, among countless other classics). Wilder opens his film in fascinating fashion by introducing us to our flawed protagonist Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), who is bleeding from a bullet wound, & staggering into an office building. As he speaks into a dictating machine, we learn in flashback mode that he is an insurance salesman who becomes involved with the sleek blonde bombshell Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), a bored, materialistic housewife who married her crankpot husband after his previous wife suffered an untimely death.
Phyllis convinces Walter not only to help her take out a $50,000 accidental-death insurance policy on her husband without his knowledge, but also to help her murder him in order to collect the $$ (staging an unlikely train accident in order to qualify for the "double indemnity" clause in said contract). The murder goes as planned, but after the couple's passion cools down a bit, they become suspicious of each other's motives. This deadly duo must also face Walter's brilliantly shrewd boss, claims adjustor Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), whose keen instincts tell him that something suspicious is afoot. Walter & Phyllis' faith in their story, as well as their trust in each other is put to the test and, they ultimately square off in a deadly game of cat & mouse.
What a cool, cool movie. If I could be a movie, I'd want to be this movie because, well, it's just so cool {haha}. 'Double Indemnity' is your classic film noir crime drama in which a greedy, weak man is tempted, seduced, & figuratively trapped into a deadly scheme by an icy cold woman who licentiously darts around the shadows of her immaculate Hollywood mansion ... yes, THAT is film noir to a tee. Another hallmark of film noir: the idea that both parties (Phyllis & Walter) probably love the notion of committing a crime with each other more than actually consummating their "love" for one another (her husband's death = their one-night stand). In fact, we never really know for sure if this duo actually makes love; the Hays Code of the 1940s/50s probably prevented it, anyway.
The already cold, enticingly cynical proceedings are heightened by John Seitz's black-&-white cinematography; which makes great use of such film noir trademarks as long shadows, sharp camera angles, & light peeking through venetian blinds. But it is really the 3 leads which elevates this compelling crime classic to yet another level. Barbara Stanwyck is dynamite as the sexy, cold-as-ice femme fatale; an enigmatic woman whose boredom with life actually fuels her plot of murder. Fred MacMurray is quietly superb as the loner salesman excited by both Phyllis & the "something new" challenge of the murder plot. And Edward G. Robinson is just great. His Barton Keyes is self-congratulatory; priding himself on spotting phony claims. The speech he gives about death statistics - rattled off at lightning speed - is a film highlight. But then, he's also quietly heartbreaking; exhibiting his father-like concern & deflated disappointment at what his protege (Walter) has done.
Adapted from a novel (with a script by Wilder & Raymond Chandler), 'Double Indemnity' is a stylish, suspenseful, sexy film noir with double entendre-like dialogues to die for. It incorporates themes of lust, betrayal, & how easily people can lack remorse for their actions. Not unlike 1944s Gaslight, some contemporary audiences may find this film a bit slow & tame. But you have to remember the time it was made in. Heck, this movie was seen as downright racy at the time. Hollywood's Hays Code office remarked, "The general low tone & sordid flavor of this story makes it, in our judgment, thoroughly unacceptable for screen presentation". 'Double Indemnity' reeled me in, captured me with its overtones of impending doom, & kept me in awe; thanks mostly to the 3 lead performances.
Phyllis convinces Walter not only to help her take out a $50,000 accidental-death insurance policy on her husband without his knowledge, but also to help her murder him in order to collect the $$ (staging an unlikely train accident in order to qualify for the "double indemnity" clause in said contract). The murder goes as planned, but after the couple's passion cools down a bit, they become suspicious of each other's motives. This deadly duo must also face Walter's brilliantly shrewd boss, claims adjustor Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), whose keen instincts tell him that something suspicious is afoot. Walter & Phyllis' faith in their story, as well as their trust in each other is put to the test and, they ultimately square off in a deadly game of cat & mouse.
What a cool, cool movie. If I could be a movie, I'd want to be this movie because, well, it's just so cool {haha}. 'Double Indemnity' is your classic film noir crime drama in which a greedy, weak man is tempted, seduced, & figuratively trapped into a deadly scheme by an icy cold woman who licentiously darts around the shadows of her immaculate Hollywood mansion ... yes, THAT is film noir to a tee. Another hallmark of film noir: the idea that both parties (Phyllis & Walter) probably love the notion of committing a crime with each other more than actually consummating their "love" for one another (her husband's death = their one-night stand). In fact, we never really know for sure if this duo actually makes love; the Hays Code of the 1940s/50s probably prevented it, anyway.
The already cold, enticingly cynical proceedings are heightened by John Seitz's black-&-white cinematography; which makes great use of such film noir trademarks as long shadows, sharp camera angles, & light peeking through venetian blinds. But it is really the 3 leads which elevates this compelling crime classic to yet another level. Barbara Stanwyck is dynamite as the sexy, cold-as-ice femme fatale; an enigmatic woman whose boredom with life actually fuels her plot of murder. Fred MacMurray is quietly superb as the loner salesman excited by both Phyllis & the "something new" challenge of the murder plot. And Edward G. Robinson is just great. His Barton Keyes is self-congratulatory; priding himself on spotting phony claims. The speech he gives about death statistics - rattled off at lightning speed - is a film highlight. But then, he's also quietly heartbreaking; exhibiting his father-like concern & deflated disappointment at what his protege (Walter) has done.
Adapted from a novel (with a script by Wilder & Raymond Chandler), 'Double Indemnity' is a stylish, suspenseful, sexy film noir with double entendre-like dialogues to die for. It incorporates themes of lust, betrayal, & how easily people can lack remorse for their actions. Not unlike 1944s Gaslight, some contemporary audiences may find this film a bit slow & tame. But you have to remember the time it was made in. Heck, this movie was seen as downright racy at the time. Hollywood's Hays Code office remarked, "The general low tone & sordid flavor of this story makes it, in our judgment, thoroughly unacceptable for screen presentation". 'Double Indemnity' reeled me in, captured me with its overtones of impending doom, & kept me in awe; thanks mostly to the 3 lead performances.