Double Indemnity: The Beginning of Noir *spoilers*
“How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?”
Date watched: April 27, 2020
Date released: April 24, 1944
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, and Jean Heather
Billy Wilder’s 1944 movie Double Indemnity is considered one of the first, if not the first, film noir. This film set the precedent for every noir from then on. Wilder’s film not only provides commentary on love, ego, and greed, but it also has some of the best characters of all time.
Double Indemnity follows the story of Walter Neff, an insurance salesman from Los Angeles, as he teams up with Phyllis Dietrichson, the young wife of the mysteriously widowed Mr. Dietrichson, to plan the murder of Mr. Dietrichson for the life insurance claim. They concoct a plan to not only receive the life insurance claim but for double indemnity, a clause in many life insurance that promises double the money for rare causes of death. After they execute it, they struggle to not be found out by the claim investigator, and Neff’s best friend, Barton Keyes.
Love and relationships are complicated- Double Indemnity displays that perfectly. In the beginning, Neff and Phyllis’ relationship is purely physical. It’s also forced as Phyllis, the quintessential femme fatale, uses him to help with her rotten plan. Eventually, it is clear to both of them that their relationship was forced, but they don’t really care - it is a symbiotic relationship. In the end, they both plan on murdering each other to save themselves respectively, still, there is an air of admiration for each other. It’s strange to see, but no matter what, they still loved each other. Of course, this is not a relationship to be idolized, but love is complicated.
The motivation of these characters stems from only two things: ego and greed. When Phyllis first proposes her plan to Neff he turns it down. That is until Keyes, the claim investigator, says there is no way someone can get a scheme past him and questions Neff’s intelligence. Neff feels the need to prove himself. That is when he starts to plan, what he believes to be, the perfect crime. Neff feels like he is the masterminded helping this beautiful damsel, when in reality, Phyllis has been in charge this whole time. She was able to seduce Neff into doing the dirty work, and he fell for it. Neff wanted to prove he could fool the insurance company, but she fooled him. To the point of greed, Phyllis’ character is purely motivated by greed. Phylliss married a rich man for his money, and once he lost that money the only way she could get more was through an insurance claim. Even further to the point of greed, Neff couldn’t just stop at his “perfect crime;” he had to go for double indemnity. This mixture of ego and greed leads to both of their deaths.
This movie deserves credit for being one of the first. It is the blueprint for all noirs to come, but that also means it is pretty simple. At the time it was obviously fresh, but compared to the noirs that come after this one just seems a bit boring.
Rating: 3.5/5
June 7, 2020