Double Indemnity (1944)
Double Indemnity (1944) is a classic American crime thriller film noir helmed by the talented duo of director Billy Wilder and co-writer Raymond Chandler. Injured from a gunshot wound, insurance agent Walter Neff makes his way back to his office in Los Angeles. There, he leaves a recorded confession for claims manager Barton Keyes about an incident that occurred a year prior. During a routine house call regarding her husband’s car insurance, Neff flirts with Phyllis Dietrichson. She then reveals her desire to take out a secret policy on her husband’s life – which Neff immediately catches on is for nefarious purposes. Later on, when Phyllis visits Neff’s apartment, he devises a cunning plan to murder Mr. Dietrichson and take advantage of the ‘double indemnity’ clause for extra insurance payout.
Neff conceals himself in the back seat of Dietrichson’s car while Phyllis chauffeurs her husband to the train station. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, Neff fatally injures Dietrichson and assumes his identity on the train. At a predetermined location, he disembarks from the train. With Phyllis’ assistance, he stages Dietrichson’s body on the tracks. The president of Neff’s insurance company concludes that Dietrichson took his own life. Keyes scoffs at this theory but does find it peculiar that Dietrichson failed to file a claim after breaking his leg. He begins to suspect Phyllis and deduces that she had a partner who will share in the insurance payout. However, due to Dietrichson’s lack of knowledge about the policy, the company denies payment for accidental death.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Fred MacMurrayWalter Neff  Barbara StanwyckPhyllis Dietrichson  Edward G. RobinsonBarton Keyes  Porter HallMr. Jackson |
Double Indemnity (1944) is a classic American crime thriller film noir helmed by the talented duo of director Billy Wilder and co-writer Raymond Chandler. Injured from a gunshot wound, insurance agent Walter Neff makes his way back to his office in Los Angeles. There, he leaves a recorded confession for claims manager Barton Keyes about an incident that occurred a year prior. During a routine house call regarding her husband’s car insurance, Neff flirts with Phyllis Dietrichson. She then reveals her desire to take out a secret policy on her husband’s life – which Neff immediately catches on is for nefarious purposes. Later on, when Phyllis visits Neff’s apartment, he devises a cunning plan to murder Mr. Dietrichson and take advantage of the ‘double indemnity’ clause for extra insurance payout.
Neff conceals himself in the back seat of Dietrichson’s car while Phyllis chauffeurs her husband to the train station. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, Neff fatally injures Dietrichson and assumes his identity on the train. At a predetermined location, he disembarks from the train. With Phyllis’ assistance, he stages Dietrichson’s body on the tracks. The president of Neff’s insurance company concludes that Dietrichson took his own life. Keyes scoffs at this theory but does find it peculiar that Dietrichson failed to file a claim after breaking his leg. He begins to suspect Phyllis and deduces that she had a partner who will share in the insurance payout. However, due to Dietrichson’s lack of knowledge about the policy, the company denies payment for accidental death.
