Directed by:
Billy WilderCinematography:
John F. SeitzComposer:
Miklós RózsaCast:
Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Jean Heather, Tom Powers, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Bonanova, John Philliber, Clarence Muse (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
An insurance agent and the wife of an oilman begin an illicit affair and then fraudulently sell the oilman an accidental death insurance policy so that they can kill him and collect the insurance money. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
The absence of color in movies is usually a way for the filmmakers to enhance their vision. However, in bad filmmaking, it's more of a desperate attempt to convince viewers they're watching a piece of art. This film falls into neither of these categories. It's black and white simply because it remembers World War II, with no Technicolor added. Yet, even its age didn't stop it from thoroughly entertaining me. Sure, I was deprived of the opportunity to test my deductive abilities; when the narrator is the killer, you don't have to rack your brain. But that wasn't the point here. It was about the story, which was interesting, wonderfully shot and acted, and filled with brilliantly written dialogues like, "There's a very good osteopath down here I want to see before I leave." "Okay, Mr. Jackson. Just don't put her on the expense account." / Lesson learned: Do you have a perfect plan in mind? Assume it will be as fail-safe as the Titanic.
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A pitch-black, crystalline and almost Hitchcockianly precise noir about a near-perfect crime that defines a defunct genre with everything that made it so special: a deceitful femme fatale who collects men's hearts like scalps of enemies, a likeable hero who foolishly allows himself to be scalped, the elaborate and original murder of a poor husband and the tension patiently thickening until the emotion-filled finale. Wilder plays skilfully with the simple story, and even though it’s clear how everything must end, the viewer eats it all by the spoonful. A must for film-noir fans, for others I can only sincerely recommend it. 90%
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I was always interested in the film noir genre from the war period. I have enjoyed it mostly in the American detective and crime movies from the nineties, which were referencing that time. But when I really started watching something like that, I did not find in it what I’ve always imagined. And most of all, I lacked anything that would resemble the mystique and the atmosphere connected to it.
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Noir quality with an excellent and well acted main (anti)hero, suspenseful from the very beginning to the very end and with perfect music by Rózsa. I liked the confrontations with the investigative bulldog Keyes even more than the scenes with Fred MacMurray and the uncompromising femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck. I'd be interested in a non-Chandler book to compare with a very Chandler film.
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I will not concern myself with how high the film Double Indemnity would rank in the imaginary hierarchy of the best film noirs, but I must say that it is an example of a highly professional genre film where all elements from the screenplay, direction, casting, performances, to the last technical profession, work as they should, and the result is a spectacle that is impressive even today, and considering the time of its creation, it is simply a top-notch film. This is how I imagine a genre film classic. Although the screenplay is essentially very simple, the execution is a delight. Overall impression: 90%.
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Gallery (88)
Photo © Paramount Pictures
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