Double Indemnity (1944)

5/5

Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity is the definitive film noir, perfecting all the elements of the genre while somehow surpassing all expectations. The byzantine plot follows the seedy underbelly of insurance fraud, as insurance salesman Walter Neff (MacMurray) is approached by Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck) to set up an accident insurance policy for her husband and then kill him. She serves as the femme fatale, really little more than a representation of man's greed and lust, wrapped up in a sexy little package called opportunity. We start the movie at its chronological conclusion, giving us a sense of fatalism inherent in all noirs, a realization that no matter how many times we see it, it will never end the way we want it to. And the ending rivals the best that cinema has to offer. With one simple sentence and one small gesture, we gain such a terrifying depth of understanding about the relationships between the main characters that are absent in typical noirs. Where most depend on archetypes, Double Indemnity separates itself from the rest of the flock by giving everyone such unique, personal characteristics that it is impossible not to feel for them. Especially when they lose it all.

"I killed him for the money. And for a woman. I didn't get the money. And I didn't get the woman." MacMurray speaks the stylized dialogue of the intro with the necessary coolness of a true antihero, and continues to deliver the hard-boiled jargon as if there were no other way to talk. The subtlety hiding beneath the words echoes the suspense and deepens our understanding of each personality: "I don't like [carrying matches]. They always explode in my pocket." Each word and each glance drowns you in information you will not comprehend until a second or third viewing. The cinematography is just as good, if not better, than the impeccable script. It uses harsh lighting to brilliant effect, often shadowing our protagonist in bars cast by window blinds. And Wilder ratchets up the tension with simple set pieces and efficient editing. I guarantee you will be watching this movie on the edge of your seat.

I simply cannot praise this movie enough. Film noir is my favorite genre and this is the reason why. Watch it, and then watch it again and again and again. You will not be disappointed.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/

Lifeboat (1944)

4/5

Lifeboat's genre of war drama is not really the Hitchcock thriller staple, but he injects those elements he's familiar with into this survival/Lord of the Flies-style plot, wherein survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same lifeboat as one of the Germans responsible. Given that this entire movie takes place on the lifeboat, it is surprisingly enjoyable and almost never stale or boring, although it is very talky and heavily character-based. Luckily, the characters are fully fleshed-out in a naturalistic patchwork manner; they don't go around in a circle and talk about who they are, but their pasts have a way of popping up and exposing the characters and their motivations through conversation. Unluckily, the acting is far from extraordinary (although capable and not embarrassingly bad). There is also a suspense and mystery that Hitchcock brings to the piece. He heightens the tension almost methodically and constantly engages and involves the viewer throughout most of the movie. That being said, I must also say that the tension sags severely for about 10 or 15 minutes at that crucial point about two thirds of the way into the movie. It felt like Spielberg's Duel, where the tension he had worked so hard to build up so high was pointless, because they just go back to ground zero again.

What made me contemplate giving this movie a 4.9 was the thematic message Hitchcock presents. He exposes the darkness and distrust inherent in man and the brutal extent of the survival instinct. Throughout the course of the movie, every character reverts back to the basest and most primal human behavior. Everything society has ruled on as being acceptable or unacceptable is completely flipped on its head out here in the boat. A woman who prides herself on her place in society ends up losing every aspect of what she thought was her identity. A reformed criminal is forced to once more use the dishonest techniques that landed him in jail in the first place. A man participates in mob-based violence that he vehemently argued against at the beginning. And on and on, until everything these people have worked for is destroyed. The steady unraveling of the American dream makes this one of Hitchcock's bleakest films.

What lowered this film to a rating of 4 was its dated nature. The special effects were noticeable, and I never really felt like I was on a boat. The use of rear-projection was a little too obvious. The background was rocking up and down like crazy, and yet the shadows on the characters remained static. Please, I can only suspend my disbelief for so long. There was another huge problem for me. Some of the dialogue and acting simply fell flat. At times their actions and words were too exaggerated or unnatural that the just seemed silly to me as a modern audience member. Despite the problems listed here and in the first paragraph, I still think this is a great movie. I highly recommend it if the plot sounded interesting, if you like Lord of the Flies, or if you like Hitchcock.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0037017/