Recommended Noirs

Double Indemnity (Paramount, 1944) directed by Billy Wilder! Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler! From the book by James M. Cain. This is one of those rare movies that is better than book it came from. Walter Neff is a heel, Phyllis Dietrichson is a femme fatale of the first order, Barton Keyes is an exacting insurance investigator, blinded by his paternal affection for his colleague Neff. These three characters are brilliantly played by Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson in what amounts to a pretty perfect movie from early in the cycle.

When Neff pays a visit to the Deitrichson home to re-up an auto insurance policy, and meets Phyllis, the wheels of design, fate and actual autos start to turn. I don't want to get into this too much, because I really want you to see it, but Phyllis's attractive step daughter (played by Jean Heather) is also a bit of a Femme Fatale and cat-nip for a heel like Neff.

Double Indemnity is one of the all time noirs. The whole thing is told in flashback - like D.O.A. - and features copious amounts of brilliant Wilder/Chandler voiceover. Themes of lust, ammoral ambition, opportunism, distrust and how fate is determined by character are darkly and delightfully explored here. You cannot see it soon enough, or often enough. Enjoy!