this is a review for Double Indemnity, Seee!

The story is about Walter Neff, an insurance salesman who comes into the office at night bleeding. Though the use of a flashback, he tells the story of how he got caught up with a black widow of a woman, Phyllis Deitrichson, who not only convinces Neff to take out an insurance policy on her husband, but to help murder him as well for double indemnity, twice the money that she would have originally received for a normal death. Dodging annoyances like Keyes, the claims adjuster, they finally pull it off but it also pulls them apart. They end up squaring against each other in a dramatic finish.

I didn’t think I was a big fan of the older movies but I keep getting surprised at how much I like these movies. I am starting to really appreciate these aged movies. Double Indemnity definitely has characteristics of film noir; from the hardboiled dialogue, the narration, the detective work, the shadowy lighting though out the movie, and a preposterously evil femme fatale. The last element there, I am not fond of. There is nothing more annoying and sad about a women who plays with the heart of a man for money. I thought it was pretty extreme the way he killed her, but in the very end of the matter, she did deserve it

Edward G Robinson. What a genius. Growing up, I had always heard of the “back-in-the-day” gangster with his machine gun, suit and slicked back hair. One thing I would constantly associate with these fellows was the nasally phrase “nyahh see” and I just found out it was Edward Robinson from Little Caesar which just made my month. No lie, for a day and I half I just thought of that phrase and would often say it. Anyways, Edward G’s character, Keyes, was my favorite character in the movie especially when he berates the president for not knowing what he is saying. Another reason is that Edward G was in another movie, the Ten Commandments and I didn’t know that. He is definitely one of my favorite actors now. He breaks the good-looking-actor stereotype and that’s another reason I like him.

The film was good in all aspects. The cinematography made magnificent use of such noir characteristics such as heavy sculpted shadows, light slatted by venetian blinds and sharp camera angles. The main aspect that made this compelling crime story into a classic are the three main actors. Stanwyck did well in her striking portrayal of an icy woman whose boredom and desire fuel a plot of murder and intrigue. MacMurray, in a great change of pace, does well to act as the shifty loner excited by a challenge and a deadly dame's anklet. Robinson, meanwhile, brilliantly gives the film its passion. Again his speech of death statistics was very well done and his cigar smoking was trademark in the movie.

Two other things I liked were the matches that Neff used. I really want to see if those are sold anywhere, I don’t smoke but I would just want to keep it on me to look sophisticated as I held a match out for a beautiful dame at a restaurant someday. Another thing I liked was the fact that Walter Neff said “babey” in the fast manner of dialogue. It was very amusing.