Double Indemnity (1944)

Crime and love story intertwined were a trademark in classic Hollywood thriller and Billy Wilder's script about an insurance agent (MacMurray) falling for a seductive dame (Stanwyck) is no excuse. All the usual elements of such a story are there, a basic simple, yet smart plot, some sharp turns in the script and a macho sweet and sour finale as well. When you combine all that together, you get a good, yet not unforgettable box office crowd pleaser. "Double indemnity" is a classic within a classic era, a strong mainstream contender without any highs or lows.

This film noir has an endless supply of sweets for the discriminating film goer---Of all of the older movies I have seen, this is the one that stands alone as the penultimate movie that can never be made better--Fred MacMurray's perfect role, and what Barbara Stanwyck does with minimalist mannerisms is genius---top the movie with Edward G Robinson being, well, Edward G Robinson and you have the bestest ever film noir--yes, bestest is not a word, but mere words cannot describe the experience of viewing this movie on the big screen, and as you leave the theatre with your baby, pull out a heater and make sure you light it with your thumb, cuz you'll "need" a smoke and a stiff drink after this one, to calm your murderous thoughts!

Billy Wilder rhymes with quality film-noir by reputation. Snappy quick-witted dialog, a tumultuous introduction that forces the viewer right into the thick of the plot and action that often starts at the very end before recounting the story (as here), a femme fatale lead character along with a cynical blasé male lead who often switches between effective line delivery and narration in the background (as here), and a plot that is complex involving different parties that appreciates a psychological intrigue and insight into the protagonists' minds and motivations, the actors always top drawer with their individual performance and presence onscreen offering strong guarantee for the whole ride.The thing about this one is as often the dialog is too dense and too prolific imposing a solicitation of utter focus and attention from the viewer for the entire show and where it's interesting and effective in many parts, it's just too much effort for little reward: the actors just spew out a ton of lines with incredible cadence and this contributes to a feeling of prolonged length. Also strongly adding to the effect of distorted time, like the film is too long for its own good is how it runs out of puff at just about 30 minutes before the end. All of the wit and plot strong points and crux of the film are dispensed through the first hour plus, and just when the momentum appears to be at a peak the film aggressively maintains a suspended effort of keeping that high note going on, and on, where it feels artificially kept alive and can't seem to make itself as interesting as the first two thirds. There's a natural rhythm and momentum for any film but these crime film-noirs especially and the intrigue needs to be carefully conducted and evenly spread over whichever period of time. It just feels dead and drags on at the end here, the last half hour rather painful and with little reward as there's a strong feeling of inevitability that something fairly predictable and just about how we'd imagine it is about to happen, the film strips its own self of any element of surprise and spontaneity and denies its viewer a punchy ending which is disappointing after demanding such focus from the audience. Finally, there's also the fact this sort of film relies on details fulfilling the requirements of the plot and there's a dominant feeling of predictability and convenience to key characters with their resolving of the plot. This remains a top film-noir for what it is and lots of good work was also put into it, however there's no excuse for throwing off the pace and having a film end on a lackluster note, if you're the film-maker it's your number one duty.6.5/10.

Film noir classic, directed by Billy Wilder, about an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) who falls for a married woman (Barbara Stanwyck). She uses him to help her get rid of her husband problem. It's a firecracker of a film that moves quickly, with hard-bitten characters and snappy dialogue brought to life by a great cast and a legendary director. Easily MacMurray's best role on the big screen. Wonderful supporting work from Edward G. Robinson. Stanwyck is terrific, as well, although selling her as the kind of woman a man could fall in lust with at first sight is one of the film's only flaws. Beautifully shot by John Seitz. The incredible score is courtesy of Miklós Rózsa. A lot of top talent worked on this. Nominated for seven Oscars, it took home zero. Which is a crying shame, especially with regard to the screenplay written by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, adapted from a novel by James M. Cain. I like Going My Way as much as the next person but, come on now, this script has quite possibly the best dialogue in movie history. It's on my list of top ten favorite movies of all time so obviously I recommend it.