When you look up the word "iconic" in your Funk & Wagnalls, you'll find this movie listed as Exhibit A. Billy Wilder was a genius both as a writer and as a filmmaker. It's no surprise that, with such outstanding co-writers as Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain, the script is superb. The cast is outstanding. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck have great chemistry, but for my money Edward G. Robinson, in a supporting role, stands out. The dramatic line never sags from the foreboding opening to the inevitable tragic conclusion. It's no exaggeration to say that this classic movie is one of the handful of truly great film noirs (or is it films noir?).
Review of Double Indemnity
