Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity is the season's nattiest, nastiest, most satisfying melodrama.

With diamond-hard repartee by Wilder and Raymond Chandler (by way of James M Cain’s novel) and ghoulish cinematography by the great John Seitz, this is the gold standard of ’40s noir, straight down the line.

Superlative crime yarn adapted with precision and skill from the classic James M. Cain novel.

I love Double Indemnity because it's about a couple who are cheap and greedy, but achieve a kind of tragic heroism; because it has one of the great father-son relationships (although they aren't actually father and son); because it's a thoroughly cynical thriller redeemed by just a fading touch of romance. And it also has a trio of superb performances.

Film noir is the most intoxicating of Hollywood cocktails, and none is more potent than Double Indemnity...It breaks the rules of filmmaking with breathtaking confidence and is all the more satisfying for

Wilder trades Cain's sun-rot imagery for conventional film noir stylings, but the atmosphere of sexual entrapment survives.

Such folks as delight in murder stories for their academic elegance alone should find this one steadily diverting, despite its monotonous pace and length...But the very toughness of the picture is also the weakness of its core, and the academic nature of its plotting limits its general appeal.

Es una película bastante buena, pero a la vez complicada. Comete dos errores: el primero es el romance, que sucede de forma inmediata, con solo verse, sin conocerse. Esto último es importante, ya que, mientras más avanza la trama, nuestro protagonista empieza a darse cuenta de la persona que realmente es su socia. Así que supongo que era algo negativo para un bien mayor. El segundo problema es su final; mientras relataba lo que había hecho, sería mucho mejor que terminara con Casey escuchándolo todo al final. Era lo lógico y lo mejor, y no hacer más cosas de las que se intentó. Por lo demás, es una de las mejores películas del cine negro. Aun así, creo que, aunque tiene errores que dejan un mal sabor de boca, hace las cosas en general lo suficientemente bien para ser sobresaliente. Grandísima película.

O eterno clássico do cinema noir dirigido pelo incontornável Billy Wilder. Já o vi há uns anitos mas ficou-me na memória como umas das melhores fitas que vi. Aqui temos todos os elementos do noir de forma perfeita: história não convencional, personagens com moral duvidosa, femme fatale como antagonista, fotografia impecável, iconografia inconfundível, narrador em 2º plano e claro um protagonista caído em desgraça, mergulhado numa narrativa fatalista… Destaque ainda para o actor principal Fred MacMurray, que consegue fazer qualquer um aproximar-se do anti-herói desta história.

One of the best filmed and recognized movies of all time. Double Indemnity explores the depths of greed and lust and was the film that mainstreamed the femme fatale. Wonderfully acted and as gritty as they come.

A classic noir that doesn't miss a beat from its performances or dialogue. The narrative structure affects the drama some is my only complaint.

I ended up loving noir more as a genre than finding satisfaction in its paricular movies. Ambient and mood are always there, but narratively, noir movies are often shallow and way too obvious. Double Indemnity is one of rare exceptions. It keeps suspense all the time and doesn't feel dated.