Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity, released on April 24, 1944, is one of the first classic film noirs, which means "dark film." A film noir's main focus is revealing a sense of the dark side of mankind and society. The producer and writer of Double Indemnity, Billy Wilder and James M. Cain, definitely accomplishes this. The main plot is about a innocent insurance aggent who convinces himslf to be sucked into murder and insurance fraud. He becomes consumed with guilt after helping the seductive femme fatale kill her husband. This epic story recieved one Oscar and seven nominations.

The movie begns with the main character, Walter Neff, played by Fred McMacMurray, who thinks he knows all the right angles of commiting a insurance fraud successfully. He becomes extremely attracted to a client's sexy wife, Phyllis Dietrichson who is played by Barabara Stanwyck. The two soon to be lovers commit a murder, Phyllis's husband, and frame it as if he simply fell of a train or commited suicide. However, a cunning insurance investigator, Neff's close friend, senses something going on. Walter becomes anxious and consumed with guilt of this nasty murder but is kept in the hot water by Phyllis's seductive ways. The end leaves the auddience in a confussion of feelings after all the flashbacks makes sense.

I really liked this movie alot because it convayed tons of emotion. The way shadow and flashbacks were used made the movie even more interesting. What makes this movie so good is the question that people end up asking themselves throughout the plot; Can this actually work in reality? I would definitely reccomend Double Indemnity to anyone.