Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity by Billy Wilder (1944, 107 min.). Controversial in 1944—and nearly prevented from release by the combined efforts of Paramount, the Hays Office, and star Fred MacMurray—Double Indemnity pushed cinematic boundaries depicting murder, deceit, and an overtly sexual female lead, but its eventual release allowed film noir to flourish. In a legendary performance, Barbara Stanwyck plays a young woman who murders her husband for his insurance money. Using her powerful sexuality, she manipulates insurance agent Walter Neff (MacMurray) in order to get it. When their plan begins to unravel, so does Walter's conscience. Written by Raymond Chandler (based on a story by James M. Cain), Double Indemnity embodies the hard-boiled detective novel tradition