Double Indemnity

Film Noir: a genre of mystery, dark lighting, and a deviously psycho wife plotting her husband's death. That can pretty much sum up Double Indemnity for you. Following every rule in the book, Double Indemnity is a classic version of film noir, and sets the standard for many more in that genre.
The movie stars Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff and Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson, who was nominated for an Oscar. The film also recieved nominations for best black and whit cinematography, best Director (Billy Wilder), best music/score, best picture, best sound, and best writing/screenplay.
Double Indemnity is about an insurance agent, Walter Neff, who tries to sell a life policy to an older man unsuccessfully. When the man's wife, Phyllis Dietrichson, approaches him about making a crooked deal, Neff walks away. After thinking it over, Neff becomes very curious about if it is really possible to get away with such a scandal, then decides to take the deal. They get through with the plan, while having a steamy affair on the side, and think they got away with it. But to their dismay, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) remains suspicious as to how the husband's death really happened, and if it was an accident. Eventually, after several twists and turns, Keyes figures Neff out in a very dramatic ending scene.
I enjoyed Double Indemnity. There were many things that I did not expect to happen and I stayed intrigued throughout the entire film. I thought the scenery really added to the mood of each scene and was a great asset to the film. In addition, the lighting was perfect. Because the film is black and white, lighting is essential, and I thought Wilder did a great job of making sure it was just right. Over all, I give this movie an A- only because some of the lines were cheesy.