‘Double Indemnity’ (1944) review; 100 Movies in 90 Days part II

#7 of 100 on my 100 Movies I’ve Never Seen Before Challenge (part II)

Part of the reason I challenge myself with something as ridiculous as trying to watch 100 Movies I’ve Never Seen in 90 Days is to watch something that I might not get a chance to watch normally. Sure, I see a ton of crap. However, it gives me a reason to go back and watch some old movies that I’ve missed for one reason or another. “Double Indemnity” is a great example of a movie that I added to this list because I’ve heard how great it is and want to see if it lives up to the hype.

A 1944 film noir from director Billy Wilder, “Double Indemnity” is about a cocky insurance salesman who gets seduced by a woman who then convinces him into helping kill her husband. Fred MacMurray is Walter Neff, the insurance salesman. Barbara Stanwyck plays Phyllis Dietrichson, a slightly evil woman, who has grown tired of her older husband and wants to kill him off. The film starts slow, establishing a subtle growing love between Walter and Phyllis but after they knock off her husband its all down hill from there. You see, insurance companies aren’t that stupid and of course an investigation begins. Walter starts to realize all the mistakes they made and that Phyllis is really just a crazy b*tch that may or may not have had something to do with the death of her husband’s previous wife.

This is an outstanding movie and classic film noir. If you are into old movies or just like a good old fashioned murder mystery caper, check this out.

Check out some of my other movie reviews at Examiner.com.