Double Indemnity

As an old(-ish) fart, I'm allowed to say that they just don't make 'em like this anymore. Not that I was born when this film was made, but I (hopefully) like so many other Americans, yearn for the films in which scripts were written with oodles of sub- text. In which everything, but everything, is hidden under layers of shifting words. The first major repartee between Fred McMurray's hapless insurance rep and the oh-so-evil, but oh-so- alluring (can't quite call her beautiful), Barbara Stanwyck is dazzling in its wordplay, while at the same time inducing giggles at how different the world is now. Which is probably why nobody makes films like this anymore. I mean, having the lead man constantly calling the leading lady "baby" would be, hmm, off- putting nowadays. Still, the best line in the whole movie is "Shut up, baby." so there you have it. The movie conforms to the all the rules of noir -- a plot that holds water but only if you don't look too closely, plenty of intricacies involving other characters and set pieces, a somber, bleak tone, and above all as little light used as possible. The beauty and mystery of the darkest film noir, and this is one of them, creates the tragedy we know we're in store for. Does it matter? Not in the least. Knowing there will be a tragic ending doesn't dissuade us, it pulls us in deeper. Are we entranced by the mirror it holds to our own lives? Maybe. I like to think part of why we watch noir is a sense of relief -- there's no way we're as messed up as those lost souls on screen.

year: 1944
length: 107 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/combined