Double Indemnity (1944)

Why so much hype?

Touches You

Purely Joyful Movie!

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Double Indemnity is a prime example of classic film noir. Plus, for those of us raised on live-action Disney movies, it's fun to see Fred MacMurray play a role so dramatically different from what we're used to. I love the quick and stylized dialogue. Who knew that a story about an insurance salesman could be so dark and gritty?

Double Indemnity is directed by Billy Wilder and Wilder co-adapts the screenplay with Raymond Chandler from the novella written by James M. Cain. It stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. Music is by Miklos Rozsa and cinematography by John F. Seitz.For a film lover such as myself it feels redundant writing a review for Double Indemnity, because quite simply there's nothing to say that hasn't been said already. The esteem it is held in is justified, it's a razor sharp noir across the board and can be put up as one of the classic noir era pictures that got lovers of the form interested in the first place.Based around the infamous Snyder/Gray case of 1927, Wilder and Chandler fill the story with a sinister cynicism that is palpable in the extreme. With a script positively pumped with hard boiled dialogue, a simple case of murder becomes so much more, a labyrinth of devious cunning and foolishness, with a trio of top performances crowning this topper.Technically via aural and visual work the story gains extra spice. Rosza provides a score that frays the nerves, imbuing the sense of doom and edginess required for plotting. Seitz excels, the photography a trademark for noir, heavy shadows, abrupt camera angles and menacing shards of light come to the fore.And to top it all off, it gets away with so much, a real censorship baiter. The story takes a journey to the dark side of morality, and the makers, bless them for they know what they do, gleefully tease the production code to give film noir fans a reason to rejoice.Quintessential stuff. 10/10

Walter Neff arrives at the home of The Dietrichson family, to sell insurance. While the husband absent he gets acquainted with Phyllis, the unhappily married second wife of Dietrichson. Being an insurance Salesman Neff knows the ins and outs, in particular how to commit the perfect murder. The pair hatch a plan, but Neff's colleague Barton Keyes starts to unravel the complex plan Walter and Phyllis concocted.I love the film noir genre, there were some superb offerings, there's a strong case for naming Double Indemnity as the best of the lot. Firstly the story itself, so wonderfully complex, loaded with twists and turns. Secondly the acting, so strong, Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck are superb as the film's leads. I particularly love the way that Walter narrates the story, an original format, getting it from his point of view. First time viewers are in for a treat, and will have zero idea of what the conclusion will be. Even now it looks so slick, excellent production values throughout, quite simply this film is exceptional. 10/10

Fred MacMurray plays Walter Neff, an insurance salesman seduced by Barbara Stanwyck's Phyllis Dietrichson (AFI's #8 villain) into killing her husband (Tom Powers). Edward G. Robinson is the claims manager, Barton Keyes, who is assigned to investigate. Noted character actor Porter Hall also appears, as a kind of witness to the "act". Richard Gaines plays an insurance company executive, whom Robinson 'dresses down' in one of the movie's many taut scenes.The story is told in flashback, by MacMurray's character, who gets to watch Robinson's work the case (not unlike the way Peter Falk later played TV's Columbo).The film received Academy Award nominations in several categories, but failed to win a single Oscar: Best Picture, Best Actress for Stanwyck, Best Director for Billy Wilder, Screenplay by Raymond Chandler and Wilder, its John Seitz B&W Cinematography, its Miklós Rózsa Score, and Sound by Loren Ryder. #38 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list. #24 on AFI's Most Heart-Pounding Movies list. #84 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. Added to the National Film Registry in 1992.