Double Indemnity 1944
Based on a brilliant plot by author James M. Cain, the 1944 film Double Indemnity, directed by 6-time Oscar winner Billy Wilder, is a masterpiece in every sense. Nominated for 7 Oscars in different categories, the performances in this film set a new standard in cinema history. The story follows the affair between a swindler and a married woman, and their shocking plan for murder which remains a masterpiece even years later, leaving no room for doubt in the mind of the lead actor Fred MacMurray. In addition to MacMurray, the film also stars four-time Oscar nominee actress Barbara Stanwyck and Romanian-born actor Edward G. Robinson. Walter, who works for a major insurance company, visits the home of young and beautiful Phyllis, who lives alone as her wealthy husband is always on the road, and tries to sell her a comprehensive insurance package. Realizing the sinister thoughts behind Phyllis’s fake fears, Walter leaves the young woman’s home, aware of the dangers of the scheme. Succumbing to his feelings for the young woman, Walter devises an elaborate assassination plan with Phyllis. According to the plan, Phyllis’s husband will be insured and will die in a railway accident after being approved by the company. If Walter’s ingenious plan succeeds, the insurance company will pay out not one but two claims after Phyllis’s husband’s death. Despite the countless examples in its genre, this unpredictable film is a cult classic that should not be missed even today.
