Justin Peterson’s review published on Letterboxd:
Criterion Collection Spine #1126
The look, sound, and feel of classic film noir ... and it's clear to see why Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity is among the best in this genre of the past.
"I was walking down the street to the drugstore, suddenly, it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy Keyes, but it's true, so help me, I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man."
(Quip of the Review: We all know those in the insurance game can be crooks, but in this story we see they can be hard-boiled detectives too when it comes to having to pay out double for a claim.)
When you think about what makes a good noir film, Double Indemnity has it all from the dark shadowy atmosphere, snappy dialogue, a tense crime story, romance, betrayal, and our main character providing insights along the way through well-crafted voice-over narration. The story is about a wise talking insurance salesman who hatches a plot with a woman to murder her husband, and then collect big time on the insurance payout by making it look like an accident. But as suspicion around the claim grows, will they come together and get away with it or will their criminal romance be foiled?
I thought Double Indemnity was an excellent and engaging classic film that I recommend checking out, and I look forward to seeing it again someday when I start introducing my kids to film noir.
Thanks for reading.
Happy movie watching ... SKOL!
