http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/?ref_=sr_1
I love film noir. The ladies, well-dressed and alluring. The guys, lean and desperate in their tailored suits and fedoras. Snappy patter in nearly every scene. To me, it doesn't get better than this 1944 release.
Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson star in this flick.
Ever since Cain slew Abel, some humans have tried to get away with "the perfect murder". Not only is murder obviously morally wrong, I would posit that there is something within each of us to remind us it's wrong, something in our spirits that would not allow us to celebrate something we know is reprehensible. This film delineates that for us.
MacMurray at this stage in his career was known as an affable guy on screen, more hero than cheater. I'll bet his devoted fans were horrified at his "heel turn" in this flick. As "Walter Neff", he starts out as a stereotypical slick salesman, but ends up all too aware of his fatal flaw. He was smart, but not as smart as he thought. He was so easily seduced, like a lovesick cow led to slaughter.
Stanwyck wasn't known as a bombshell like Virginia Mayo, but was one of the most versatile actresses in screen history. She could go from trusting & innocent to conniving in an instant. Her seduction of the hapless Neff wasn't borne of stunning physical beauty but more of a low-key persistence. Her "Phyllis Dietrichson" was dissatisfied in her marriage and saw an opportunity when Neff shows up, all bravado and silly flirting. She saw enough moral weakness in him to know he could be manipulated, "all the way to the end of the line".
Robinson plays "Barton Keyes", an insurance analyst at Neff's firm. This was a rare supporting turn at this stage of his career, but Robinson threw himself into the role. His bulldog-like stubbornness and attention to detail put continual heat on the conspiring lovers. And, Keys gets all the best lines ("You're not smarter, Walter, you're just a little taller"..."'Margie!' I bet she drinks from the bottle..."). The "actuarial table" speech was intense and impressive. Robinson didn't get a lot of screen time, but he owns the film in his scenes.
If you like film noir, and you haven't seen this one, you must find the time. It's that good.
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