Ever make a quick decision that made you feel powerful? Careful, there is always someone waiting for a hasty choice-maker to use and trap.
"How fast was I going, officer?" Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) asks in Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity." Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck), Walter's object of affection, answers, "I'd say about 90 miles an hour."
In "Double Indemnity," Walter wants Phyllis the minute he sees her and he makes no attempt to hide it. Walter is an insurance man who comes to Phyllis' house to sell life insurance to her husband. Instead, he becomes smitten with the woman who answers the door.
Phyllis denies his come-ons at first but later encourages his attention in reaction to her oppressive husband. The two allow their lust to flourish in secret, but want their affections to go beyond a closed door so the two devise a plan.
Claiming she hates her husband so much she wouldn't mind him dead, Phyllis practically spoon-feeds Walter his next step. It is a flawless arrangement; killing the husband means he gets his money and the woman.
However, it is obvious from the very first scene that this won't happen. Walter rushes into a room recounting past events, saying, "I killed him for money and for a woman; well, I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman."
Walter represents not only a rapid decision-maker but a walking obsession. Phyllis, despite being married, is a person he must have and he will clear any obstacles to attain her. His decision is not based on reason but on a passionate whim.
The force is so strong that it works as a blindfold to any road signs that could caution his crash. If Walter is the speeding car, femme fatale Phyllis is the road that leads him to his demise.
In "Double Indemnity," the person looking for control is most likely one with evil intentions. Furthermore, such people are not looking for reasonable beings as their instruments, because a good instrument does not have a mind. Walter Neff is certainly a man who has lost his mind over beauty. In the end, he realizes his downfall is of his own creation.
Why You Should Watch this Film:
This movie marks the birth of film noir. Not only is the style developed in its plot and characters but also in its groundbreaking cinematography. The story is told from the point of view of criminals infused with sexuality and violence. The photography is filled with sharp shadows and gives a feeling of claustrophobia.
The plot of this movie pushed the envelope for women. At first, Barbara Stanwyck refused to play the role because she thought that playing a murderess would ruin her career. "Look, are you an actress or are you a mouse?" Billy Wilder asked her. Stanwyck immediately accepted the role.
All the darkness in the movie started a new movement in Hollywood, and it was nominated for six Oscars.
