Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Double Indemnity - Movie Review

Old black and white stuff. But gripping. I could not get away from the sceen for too long. Insurance salesman hits on the attractive wife of a client. She plants the idea of taking an accident insurance for her old husband. He suspects her intentions rightly and leaves. But the idea develops in his mind - there's a girl and there's easy money - and he comes with a plan where the accident could get them more insurance under a double indemnity clause - in some circumstances insurance companies pay double. It's well executed but the sharp claims manager of the insurance company smells a rat. Why did the old man not claim insurance cover on a broken leg? Did he not know that he was covered?

The good part about movies of those days was that people were people, with their weaknesses and weak moments. 'Double Indemnity' shows all the sides of human nature - the insurance salesman who gets caught in a momentary lapse of reason and kills to set right his wrong, the hard hearted wife who falls in love at the very last moment and dies as a result of it and the hard nosed claims manager who ferrets out the truth. Can you get bored in this movie? No. Can you watch it again? Yes. Based on a novel by the same name 'Double Indemnity' is good old story telling with loads of dialogue. Liked it.

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