Double Indemnity

I will not concern myself with how high the film Double Indemnity would rank in the imaginary hierarchy of the best film noirs, but I must say that it is an example of a highly professional genre film where all elements from the screenplay, direction, casting, performances, to the last technical profession, work as they should, and the result is a spectacle that is impressive even today, and considering the time of its creation, it is simply a top-notch film. This is how I imagine a genre film classic. Although the screenplay is essentially very simple, the execution is a delight. Overall impression: 90%. (30/06/2012)

A pitch-black, crystalline and almost Hitchcockianly precise noir about a near-perfect crime that defines a defunct genre with everything that made it so special: a deceitful femme fatale who collects men's hearts like scalps of enemies, a likeable hero who foolishly allows himself to be scalped, the elaborate and original murder of a poor husband and the tension patiently thickening until the emotion-filled finale. Wilder plays skilfully with the simple story, and even though it’s clear how everything must end, the viewer eats it all by the spoonful. A must for film-noir fans, for others I can only sincerely recommend it. 90% (24/08/2013)

I was always interested in the film noir genre from the war period. I have enjoyed it mostly in the American detective and crime movies from the nineties, which were referencing that time. But when I really started watching something like that, I did not find in it what I’ve always imagined. And most of all, I lacked anything that would resemble the mystique and the atmosphere connected to it. (15/04/2016)

This is exactly how I imagine a noir film - perhaps except for that lighter tone at the beginning. From the start, you know that something went wrong, you just need to figure out how. The innocent beginning, more or less innocent, quickly changes after meeting the femme fatale, played by Barbara Stanwyck - mainly thanks to her voice - she is absolutely brilliant. The character of the detective seems unnecessary, but she is not here to investigate, she is here to give the whole thing that metaphorical crown. Excellent film. (22/09/2014)

Noir quality with an excellent and well acted main (anti)hero, suspenseful from the very beginning to the very end and with perfect music by Rózsa. I liked the confrontations with the investigative bulldog Keyes even more than the scenes with Fred MacMurray and the uncompromising femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck. I'd be interested in a non-Chandler book to compare with a very Chandler film. (02/12/2014)