Double Indemnity

Unforgettable film noir! Billy Wilder's study of murder, adultery and fraud is one of the undeniable masterpieces of the post-war crime film. Stanwyck seduces pathetic insurance salesman MacMurray and together they carry out a plan to kill her husband for the insurance money. Edgar G. Robinson plays the idiosyncratic insurance investigator. No one but Wilder could have handled this material so well, or made amost all the characters so cynical. From the first time MacMurray sets eyes on Stanwyck's character we know everybody's doomed. Though well acted and beautifully shot in the true "high-key" noir style, what makes the film unforgettable is the dialogue -- as is often the case in Wilder's films, the characters love to have verbal battles and no one ever says something simple when something smart-alecky will do. Also typical of Wilder, all the characters go through hell -- Wilder even gives Robinson's character an ulcer! For days after you see this film you'll find yourself trying to imitate MacMurray's cynical diction. A great last shot! And the next time a beautiful woman wants you to kill her husband, think of what happens to the characters in this film....