Double Indemnity

1944

Action / Crime / Drama / Film-Noir / Mystery / Thriller

52
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 97% · 110 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 95% · 25K ratings
IMDb Rating 8.3/10 10 166703 166.7K

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Plot summary

A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. Against a backdrop of distinctly Californian settings, the partners in crime plan the perfect murder to collect the insurance, which pays double if the death is accidental.


Uploaded by: FREEMAN
January 11, 2024 at 02:33 AM

Director

Top cast

Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson
Edward G. Robinson as Barton Keyes
Mona Freeman as Secretary
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 2160p.BLU.x265
891.39 MB
946*720
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 24
1.7 GB
1408*1072
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 86
4.88 GB
2960*2160
English 5.1
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 29

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by jotix100 10 / 10

Some times, when they least expect it.....

There are occasional times when all the elements come together to make a great film that will stand the passing of time. "Double Indemnity" seems to be an example of this phenomenon.

First, there was a great novel by one of America's best mystery writers, James Cain, who created these characters that seem will live forever in our imagination. Then, the lucky break in getting the right man to direct it, Billy Wilder, a man who knew about how to make a classic out of the material that he adapted with great care and elegance with Raymond Chandler, a man who knew about the genre.

"Double Indemnity" works because it's a story we can relate to. There is a greedy woman trapped in a bad marriage, who sees the opportunity when she encounters an insurance agent who is instantly smitten with her and who has only sex in his mind. The manipulator, Phyllis Dietrichson, doesn't need much to see how Walter desires her. His idea of having her husband sign an insurance policy he knows nothing about, thinking he is doing something else, will prove a fatal flaw in judgment.

Mr. Wilder achieves in this film what others try, with disastrous results. The director, who was working under the old Hays Code, shows so much sex in the film with fully clothed actors, yet one feels the heat exuding from the passion Walter Neff feels for Phyllis. He is a man that will throw everything away because he is blinded by the promise of what his life will be once the husband is out of the picture.

In life, as well as in fiction, there are small and insignificant things that will derail the best laid plans. First, there i Jackson, the man who shouldn't have been smoking at the rear of the train, contemplating the passing landscape. Then, no one counts in the ability of Barton Keys, the man in the agency who has seen it all! Walter and Phyllis didn't take that into consideration and it will backfire on their plan.

We try to make a point to take a look at "Double Indemnity" when it shows on cable from time to time. Barbara Stanwyck makes a magnificent Phyllis. There are no false movements in her performance. Phyllis gets under Walter's skin because she knows where her priorities lie and makes good use of them in order to render Walter helpless under her spell.

Fred McMurray makes a perfect Walter. He is consumed by his passion and he will do anything because of what he perceives will be the reward for doing the crime. Walter Neff was perhaps Mr. McMurray's best creation. He is completely believable and vulnerable.

Edgar G. Robinson, as Barton Keys, makes one of his best performances for the screen. Keys is a man that has seen all the schemes pass by his desk. He is, in a way, Walter's worst nightmare, because working next to Keys, he gets to know how wrong he was in the planning of the crime.

The supporting cast is excellent. Porter Hall, Jean Heather, Tom Powers, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Buonanova and John Philliber are perfect.

The music score of Miklos Rosza gives the film a texture and a dimension that capitalizes on the action it intends to enhance. Also the music of Cesar Franck and Franz Schubert contribute to the atmosphere of the movie. The great cinematography of John Seitz, who will go on to direct films, is another asset in the movie. Edith Head's costumes are absolutely what a woman like Phyllis would wear right down to her ankle bracelet.

This film shows a great man at his best: Billy Wilder!

Reviewed by ma-cortes 8 / 10

Absorbing and worthy suspense film about blackmails , killing , corruption and strong intrigue

Vintage Noir Film with gritty interpretation , atmospheric settings , crackling dialogue throughout and powerhouse filmmaking . This Billy Wilder's first thriller is one of the finest Noir film ever made . A scheming wife (Barbara Stanwyck) lures an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray , though Alan Ladd, George Raft, Brian Donlevy, James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck, and Fredric March were all up for the leading role) into helping murder her husband and then declare it an accident . Both of whom concoct a twisted scheme to collect the benefits of a insurance policy . As the hubby's policy contains a clause that states that if the husband's death caused by a moving train the policy pays double face value . The investigator's boss (Edward G. Robinson) , not knowing his colleague is involved in it , suspects murder and sets out to prove it .

This first-rate and entertaining American classic Noir film draws its riveting tale and power from the interaction of finely drawn roles as well as drama , emotion and moody atmosphere . This classic mystery thriller follows James M Cain's book fairly closely otherwise . Twisted film Noir about murder , troubled relationships , treason , dark secrets , including an unforgettable dialog ; being based on the James M Cain's novel , which in turn was based on the true story of Ruth Snyder, the subject of a notorious 1920s murder trial , being screen-written by the prestigious Raymond Chandler and the same Billy Wilder . However , Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did not get along well while writing this film's script, a process that was apparently filled with arguments . As Billy Wilder didn't really get on with the famous novelist whose constant drinking irritated the director . It packs a good realization , an original script , haunting atmosphere , intriguing events ; for that reason madness and murder prevail . Fred MacMurray is superb as insurance salesman coerced into murder plot and Barbara Stanwick as predatory and alluring Femme Fatale is magnificent . Here his colleague Edward G Robinson is extraordinary and as cool as ever ; he plays as the astute and stubborn investigator , his scenes with Fred MacMurray are awesome and at their best . But Edward G. Robinson's initial reluctance to sign on largely stemmed from the fact he wasn't keen on being demoted to third lead . Good support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as Porter Hall , Tom Powers , Jean Heather , Byron Barr and Fortunio Bonanova . And Raymond Chandler's cameo , this marks the only film appearance of screenwriter and novelist Raymond Chandler .

Exciting as well as complex film , possessing a mysterious and fascinating blend of gripping thriller , serenity , baroque suspense in which especially stands out the portentous performances , evocative cinematography in black and white by John F. Seitz and thrilling musical score by the classic Miklos Rozsa . The motion picture was stunningly directed by the great Billy Wilder , as the American Film Institute ranked this as the #29 Greatest Movie of All Time . The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards but lost out on the night to Going my way (1944) by Leo McCarey. It got a deep inspiration for other films , it is particularly obvious for ¨Body heat¨ by Lawrence Kasdan with William Hurt , Kathleen Turner and Richard Crenna . Remade for TV in 1954 by Buzz Kulik with Frank Lovejoy , Ray Collins and Laraine Day , and 1973 TV remake of the 1940s classic by Jack Smight with Richard Crenna , Samantha Eggar , and Robert Webber .

Reviewed by bkoganbing 10 / 10

Anytime You Want A Husband Turned Into Cold Cash

Billy Wilder's cynical self came to public attention in this classic noir film about a luckless insurance salesman and one coldhearted dame. Double Indemnity skirted the very edges of Code morality and it took years before someone brought James M. Cain's novel to the screen.

According to a book on Billy Wilder the casting of Barbara Stanwyck was a must for Phyllis Dietrichson, otherwise the film might never have been made. Barbara Stanwyck was that rarest of players, one who could be good and convincing in all kinds of parts. Look at the films she got her four Oscar nominations besides Double Indemnity, Stella Dallas, Ball of Fire, and Sorry Wrong Number. Not one of those is similar to any one of the others and Stanwyck was acclaimed in all of them.

Fortunately for Wilder and for Paramount's budget, their leading man was right on the lot. Fred MacMurray who has been playing comedic foils for folks like Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, etc. up to that time, made the most of playing the feckless Walter Neff who gets sucked into a homicidal scheme through passion.

Double Indemnity is a landmark film in that it's two leads are really rotten people. Barbara Stanwyck has a husband in Tom Powers she can't stand and would like to bump him off for an insurance settlement and MacMurray's the insurance salesman she beguiles into her plot. Funny thing is that when the mechanics of the murder plot are discussed and formulated, the ideas are all MacMurray's.

Billy Wilder made two other films similar to Double Indemnity where a weak protagonist gets caught up in a filthy scheme. In Sunset Boulevard William Holden plays the gigolo way to well and can't break from unto pain of death. And Kirk Douglas's scheme about exploiting the tragedy of a man trapped in a cave brings him down all the way in Ace in the Hole. I'd be hard pressed to say which of the three men was worse.

The man who brings them down is Edward G. Robinson, the claims investigator in the insurance office where MacMurray works. Robinson is gradually putting the whole thing together and Wilder is at his best with the scenes of Robinson explaining the progress of his investigation to MacMurray with Fred trying to stay one step ahead.

Robinson doesn't usually get enough praise for Double Indemnity. He's got a little man, Hercule Poirot has those little grey cells. Either way both are up to the challenge of solving what looks like a perfect crime. Lot's of Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth in James M. Cain's Barton Keyes.

Wilder for the one and only time in his career worked with another great mystery writer in Raymond Chandler on the script. It was not a pleasant experience for either. Chandler complained about the working conditions of Hollywood and Wilder complained about Chandler's dissipation. Both were probably right.

Among the supporting cast look for a nice performance by Porter Hall who turns out not to be as valuable witness as Robinson originally thought. The man from Medford may not lie, but he's not above a little chiseling.

Double Indemnity is one eternal classic it will be studied and dissected by film students for centuries.

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