As my "getting back on track" film for the long ignored Classic Quest, I put on a suit and hat, grabbed a cigar, and sat down in a harshly shadowed room for Double Indemnity. 

Starring Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff, a straight laced insurance salesman, and Barbara Stanwyck as scorned wife and #8 on AFI's list of 100 Heroes and Villains Phyllis Dietrichson, Double Indemnity has the pair conspire to kill Dietrichson's husband soon after tricking him into taking out a life insurance policy. Following one of his famous hunches, Neff's boss Barton Keyes, hoping to prevent a sizable insurance payout to Mrs. Dietrichson, does some digging and slowly unravels detail after meticulous detail about the supposed accidental death. But will he unveil that his longtime friend Walter was one of the perpetrators?

Of the many, many things Double Indemnity does right, most notably is how sharp, witty, and real the script feels. Real in the film noir sense of the word that is, with an added flair for the dramatic. Neff in particular is cunning and suave in ways you just don't see any more. Fearless to throw down a flurry of innuendos at the married Phyllis Dietrichson, he oozes charisma regardless of his somewhat Herman Munster-esque look. Above him even was Edward Robinson as Barton Keyes, cool and calculating, able to trust his gut over all else. His delivery and timing is the highlight of the film.

The story itself is not one of coincidences. Fueled by great logic and endless cigars, watching Keyes decipher detail after detail is stunning. His cigars were a nice plot device to show just who had the power in the film. Neff was always lighting a match for him as he searched his pockets, and in the final shot, it is Keyes who lights Neff's cigarette. I'm not going to say that's a spoiler, because from the off, the story is told by Neff confessing to his crime late at night into Keyes' Dictaphone (to wax cylinders, 1944!)

Double Indemnity is one of the films that essentially defined the noir genre in the 40's. Characterized by harsh shadows and gritty story telling, cinematographer John Seitz injects new and unique visuals throughout this piece, truly earning his Academy Award nomination. Some of the shots used could have been stronger, but the lighting was second to none.

So far one of my favorites for the quest, I was happy to reignite my commitment to this project with Double Indemnity. While I did think the second half was slightly plodding, it didn't distract from the great story telling, epic lighting, and genius script.

5 stars