An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.
- Nominated for 7 Oscars
- 2 wins & 9 nominations total
- Stage Hand
- (uncredited)
- Pullman Porter
- (uncredited)
- Bit Part
- (uncredited)
- Train Conductor
- (uncredited)
- Conductor
- (uncredited)
- Nettie - Dietrichsons' Maid
- (uncredited)
- Norton's Secretary
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe house used as Barbara Stanwyck's character's home still stands today at 6301 Quebec Drive.
- GoofsWhen Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, Keyes exits into the hallway and Phyllis hides behind the door. The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes, even back then, but it does give Phyllis something to hide behind and increases the tension.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Walter Neff: Know why you couldn't figure this one, Keyes? I'll tell ya. 'Cause the guy you were looking for was too close. Right across the desk from ya.
Barton Keyes: Closer than that, Walter.
Walter Neff: I love you, too.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over a silhouette of a man on crutches, walking toward the camera.
- ConnectionsEdited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Like POSTMAN, INDEMNITY offers the story of a married woman who plots with her lover to murder her husband. Given MacMurray's typically "good guy" image, I didn't expect to believe him in the role of Walter Neff in the role of skirt-hungry Walter Neff--but MacMurray's performance is exceptionally good here, and all the more effective because it so completely unexpected. But while MacMurray has most of the screen time, it is really Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson who dominate the film. Stanwyck is truly memorable here, and gives us a woman who seems at once sexed-up and completely frigid, at once completely natural and absolutely artificial. It is a remarkable and often disturbing effect. Robinson, who endured decades of type-casting, is equally good as the blustery, slightly comic, and absolutely honest insurance man whose job it is to ferret out suspicious claims; it is largely due to his performance, which gives the film a moral center, that we are able to buy into the otherwise off-beat performances that drive the action.
This was one of director Billy Wilder's first major hits, and he deserves considerable credit for making the weird elements of the story work as a whole, keeping the film smartly paced, and heaping it up with atmosphere. So influential that its impact would be difficult to over-estimate, DOUBLE INDEMNITY is a touchstone for the entire film noir genre. Recommended.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Pacto de sangre
- Filming locations
- 6301 Quebec Drive, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(Dietrichson house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $927,262 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $19,543
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1