Highly Overrated But Still Good

best movie i've ever seen.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Blistering performances.

Billy Wilder rhymes with quality film-noir by reputation. Snappy quick-witted dialog, a tumultuous introduction that forces the viewer right into the thick of the plot and action that often starts at the very end before recounting the story (as here), a femme fatale lead character along with a cynical blasé male lead who often switches between effective line delivery and narration in the background (as here), and a plot that is complex involving different parties that appreciates a psychological intrigue and insight into the protagonists' minds and motivations, the actors always top drawer with their individual performance and presence onscreen offering strong guarantee for the whole ride.The thing about this one is as often the dialog is too dense and too prolific imposing a solicitation of utter focus and attention from the viewer for the entire show and where it's interesting and effective in many parts, it's just too much effort for little reward: the actors just spew out a ton of lines with incredible cadence and this contributes to a feeling of prolonged length. Also strongly adding to the effect of distorted time, like the film is too long for its own good is how it runs out of puff at just about 30 minutes before the end. All of the wit and plot strong points and crux of the film are dispensed through the first hour plus, and just when the momentum appears to be at a peak the film aggressively maintains a suspended effort of keeping that high note going on, and on, where it feels artificially kept alive and can't seem to make itself as interesting as the first two thirds. There's a natural rhythm and momentum for any film but these crime film-noirs especially and the intrigue needs to be carefully conducted and evenly spread over whichever period of time. It just feels dead and drags on at the end here, the last half hour rather painful and with little reward as there's a strong feeling of inevitability that something fairly predictable and just about how we'd imagine it is about to happen, the film strips its own self of any element of surprise and spontaneity and denies its viewer a punchy ending which is disappointing after demanding such focus from the audience. Finally, there's also the fact this sort of film relies on details fulfilling the requirements of the plot and there's a dominant feeling of predictability and convenience to key characters with their resolving of the plot. This remains a top film-noir for what it is and lots of good work was also put into it, however there's no excuse for throwing off the pace and having a film end on a lackluster note, if you're the film-maker it's your number one duty.6.5/10.

When I think of Film Noir, Double Indemnity is the film I immediately think of. It has almost all the tropes characteristic of the genre. Voice-over narration, murder, a determined investigator, the corruption of an otherwise upstanding citizen, and the quintessential Femme Fatale of all time.The backbone of the film is the outstanding script by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, perhaps the greatest writer of 'hardboiled' detective fiction, which was adapted from the novel of the same name by James M. Cain. The dialogue is dark, witty and poignant and crackles through the air like electricity. The film is as much a joy to listen to as it is to watch. Of course, part of the reason the dialogue is so great is the performances Wilder got from his actors. Barbara Stanwyck gives the best performance of her career as the scheming housewife who convinces Fred MacMurray's insurance salesman to help her plan the murder of her husband. Edward G. Robinson is almost as good as the investigator at the insurance company whose eccentric mannerisms and dour demeanor make him one the most entertaining detectives in fiction.The true appeal of Noir is in its look and John Seitz does a marvelous job with the cinematography. I've rarely seen light used so effectively in a film or such a richness in the shadows and the contrast between the blacks and whites. Topping off all these fantastic ingredients is a tremendous score by Miklós Rózsa. A somewhat overlooked score, it has a powerfully foreboding main theme that gives the opening and ending scenes of the film an atmospheric punch that sears the sequences into your memory.One of the few films I've seen without any flaws, each aspect of Double Indemnity complements each other and makes the film not only one of the best examples of Film Noir but one of the greatest films of all time.

It's definitely hard to pin down a personal favourite Wilder film, though I tend towards his earlier masterworks such as 'The Lost Weekend', 'Sunset Boulevard'...and THIS. He was one of the finest at getting straight through the bullshit and to the heart of all things noir (as the immortal Jean-Luc Godard stated, 'All I need to make a film is a man, a girl and a gun').Barbara Stanwyck is one of my favourite actresses of the period, and is a classic 'femme fatale'. I've never been a huge fan of Fred MacMurray, but his 'nice guy' persona is used to sheer advantage by Wilder, and he end up both doing his finest work for Wilder (here and in 'The Apartment') and being the ultimate noir male protagonist. Interestingly, one of my favourite actors, Edward G. Robinson, thought so much of the script that he opted out of his demand of never doing a supporting role. Many people admire Wilder the director, but as a writer (or co-writer) he's just as cinematically important and influential.Like any other film of his, at least that I've had the pleasure to see, it's worth a purchase and re-watches. The dialogue, especially, is simply fantastic. I'd take just one of his early works over a hundred of the films Hollywood churns out nowadays. They're simply that better and intrinsically satisfying. Immortal cinema.

Fred MacMurray memorably plays Walter Neff, an insurance salesman whose fate is sealed when he meets Phyllis Dietrichson (a smoking hot Barbara Stanwyck), the wife of a client. She's had thoughts of bumping off her husband (Tom Powers), and he is able to put ideas into her head of how to murder the man and profit from it. It would seem to be the perfect crime, and it does go off without a hitch, but there's just one problem. Walter has a colleague named Barton Keyes (a grandiose Edward G. Robinson), who has a talent for smelling a rat when it comes to insurance claims.The cast simply couldn't be better in this quintessential example of the entire film noir genre. Certainly the story (script by director Billy Wilder and author Raymond Chandler, based on the novel by James M. Cain) offers a now classic scenario that's been re-used many times since. The film is definitely dialogue heavy, but when the dialogue is this sharp, one can't really complain. Robinson, in particular, has a field day with his lines and he's able to get them out in a fast, breathless way. MacMurray is solid as a man who finds it increasingly hard to keep his cool, and is certainly no angel, given how readily he finds himself eager to pull off this scam. Still, he's absolutely no match for Stanwyck, who is one of the all time great "femme fatales" to be found in this genre. She's utterly conniving and knows how to turn on the heat to get what she wants. The three stars receive capable support from Porter Hall as a key witness, Powers as the murder victim, Jean Heather as his daughter, Byron Barr as her surly suitor, Richard Gaines as the boss at the insurance agency, and Fortunio Bonanova in a bit near the beginning as a luckless truck driver. (Chandler himself has a Hitchcock type role as a man reading a book outside Keyes' office.)Craftily plotted, atmospheric, and quite witty, this hallmark of film noir deserves to be seen by any lover of Old Hollywood cinema.10 out of 10.