In Double Indemnity, James M. Cain's ability to flatten you out with a double dose of realism, gulped straight, has been translated to the screen in a surprisingly effective way. The sordid story of the murder of a Los Angeles business man by his wife and an insurance agent is deftly balanced by the strongly human performances of Fred MacMurray (as weak-willed Walter Neff) and Edward G. Robinson (his sleuthlike claims manager). Glittery-eyed Barbara Stanwyck in a blonde wig is excellent as the calculating wife, Phyllis.

This is actually a murder mystery with the pattern reversed. The strange midnight confession of wounded Walter Neff, gasped into his office dictaphone, tells you right away who did the deed. How and why it was done makes a gruesome story. The nerve-racking tension, cold horror, and gloom are remarkably maintained throughout — so you'd better not take the kids.

Publication Date: July 22, 1944