Where to Watch:
9.2/10
FilmFascination Rating
“I killed him for money – and a woman- and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it?”
Now, that ladies and gentlemen, is a cocky way to start a movie. How are you going to make the audience stay when you’ve uncovered all your cards at the very beginning? But ‘Double Indemnity’ does make you stay. It got me hooked so quickly. I mean 30 minutes into the movie and I am thinking about what is going to happen next. Now that is a great feat to achieve.
The movie starts with Walter Neff, an insurance salesman, confessing everything he has done on a recorder. That is when the film takes us to the flashback where ‘it’ all began. When he goes to the house to remind Mr. Dietrichson about his automobile insurance policy, he meets Phyllis (his wife), wrapped in a towel and standing at the top of a staircase. “I wanted to see her again. Close and without that silly staircase between us.” And yes this interaction turns into some strong flirting until Phylis asks about buying an accident insurance policy for her husband. But she wants to get it without his knowledge! Now, our guy Neff here is a smart one. Not to be fooled by anyone. He instantly sees through the accident insurance act. For those who don’t get it- it implies that Phylis is contemplating murdering her husband and planning to get some cash out of it.
Walter isn’t even fooled into getting his hand dirty. Instead, he is in his full senses when he gets into it. Why? It is pure lust. And the way it is described and shown makes it believable! The first time he sees her when she just enters after a bath, the smell of the perfume that has crept into his memory ever since he met her, or the way he notices her anklet. His decision sure is foolish, but it isn’t surprising. The beauty of a femme fatale and the greed of the green paper could make any sane person blind. But is that it?
Double Indemnity has some great storytelling. Every step in the past is backed up by a world-weary voiceover that happens in the present. Those, some words of experience at every step of the movie when things seemed right but turned out to be the end of all, are the ones that create magic in this movie. The eerie words of Neff’s fear when he says,” I couldn’t hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.” give us that feeling of doom. That is just one example of what the movie is filled with.
Double Indemnity is no less than a delight to watch. Maybe it’s the enriched script from Billy Wilder and crime novelist Raymond Chandler. Probably it is the monotonous beating score of Miklos Rozsa. Or the characters which are brought to light by the amazing actors. All three pillars of the movie- MacMurray, Miss Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson (Neff’s bloodhound buddy) are great in the movie.
Neff and Phyllis might seem to be the important pair in the movie but the best relationship shown in the movie is that of Neff and Keyes. A father-son bond, which are not actually blood-related, is at the heart of the movie. Before ‘Double Indemnity’, MacMurray used to play only in light comedies. When Wilder first approached him about the role, MacMurray said “You’re making the mistake of your life!”. Playing a serious role required acting and he said,” I can’t do it.”
Absence of any one of these actors would have led to reducing the grace of the film. Or probably it is Wilder’s skills as a director that builds the suspense. On top of my head, I can think of at least two instances in which the heart almost stops beating. Even the settings of the movie set a tone for it. Outdoor it’s always nearly dark, while the interiors, Neff’s apartment, or the Dietrichson house is almost always gloomy. And in the day, the blinds are always covered to keep the secrets within the walls. It is ripe for the greedy plot and the human tragedy that is always felt near but avoided for as long as possible.
What makes Double Indemnity great and perhaps the perfect noir film is the sense in the greed, craziness, heartbreak, and the tragedy. Neff all along seems to be a great fellow who gets tangled in something he shouldn’t have (he willingly gets into it though). There isn’t any showdown or a chase like other movies at the end. Billy Wilder has always had his way with the endings. In this one too, he makes it a near-perfect end with words that will always remind you of this movie.
Favourite Quotes
Walter Neff: Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money – and a woman – and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it?
Walter Neff: Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it’s true, so help me. I couldn’t hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.
Phyllis: I was just fixing some ice tea; would you like a glass?
Walter Neff: Yeah, unless you got a bottle of beer that’s not working.
Walter Neff: Know why you couldn’t figure this one, Keyes? I’ll tell ya. ‘Cause the guy you were looking for was too close. Right across the desk from ya.
Barton Keyes: Closer than that, Walter.
Walter Neff: I love you, too.
Join the FilmFascination Club!
All the updates right in your Inbox! (We will never spam you with junk mails)
You will get a message on the top of the form once your subscription is successful.