Hailed by many as the
greatest Film-Noir of all time, I was definitely in need of checking out Double
Indemnity. As someone who is growing a love for classic films, I decided not to
have any sort of high expectations and thankfully, Double Indemnity is not only
an intriguing film but it is a film as close to perfect as possible. It does
something interesting that most films at the time of its release would never
have done, which is reveal the big “secret” within the opening minutes hence
allowing the audience to be fully invested within the characters and in order
for them to effectively enjoy the film that much more.
Fred MacMurray plays a
salesman named Walter Neff who recounts the events leading to the death of Mr
Dietrichson, as he meets Ms Dietrichson and forms a strange affair with her. The
strange affair leads to the seductive Phyllis Dietrichson persuading Walter to
join her in a scheme to kill her husband and in order to receive an indemnity.
Realizing that there is indeed ‘a double indemnity’ if killed on a train, they
agree to do so but an insurance manager, Keyes, shows his suspicion about the
death of Mr Dietrichson and attempts to solve the crime.
Billy Wilder’s Double
Indemnity is one of the greatest films from the Golden Age of cinema, featuring
fantastic performances by Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, who resemble and
embody the characters. Barbara is shown as a rather lifeless woman, yet
seductive especially how she initially acts around Neff. Walter is portrayed as
a rather wise and cunning man, as portrayed at the end of the film. Keyes,
played by Edward Robinson was truly fantastic in his role as he truly embodies
every bit of characterization of Keyes. He outsmarts those around him, his
determination to solve the death is evident and his inability to be fooled is
quite easily evident.
The story is fantastic,
complex and deeply layered giving each character enough depth, even Mr
Dietrichson’s daughter. Each character is still easy to understand and their
motivations are clear. The story telling structure is very clever and how the
story unfolds is even better. The cinematography is gorgeous, the lighting
often stands out.
It isn’t just a
crime/drama tale. It has all the essentials for a masterpiece with an ability
to mix in various genres such as thriller and romance. With this, Wilder
accomplishes far more than he otherwise would have. A near perfect film that
exceeds in every department of film making.
Grade- 10/10
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