Viewed in
2010
Premise
An insurance salesman and a disgruntled wife plot to kill her husband and run away with the insurance money.
Loved
Suspense in the second half.
Liked
Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, and the dialogue.
Disliked
Barbara Stanwyck.
Thoughts
A solid film noir.
The best part was the colorful dialogue courtesy of the Billy Wilder/Raymond Chandler tag team. Some of the speeches/monologues were poetic to the ear, and Fred MacMurray's voice-over created vivid imagery and emotions as if watching a novel come to life.
Some of the execution was top-notch. I loved the suspense laid on thick in the second half of the film. My favorite was when the insurance salesman (MacMurray) awaits his lover/co-conspirator (Barbara Stanwyck) when his boss (Edward G. Robinson) suddenly makes an expected visit. MacMurray's acting was great, as his character talked to his boss non-nonchalantly, but with darting eyes. Robinson had some great acting moments as well.
Unfortunately, Stanwyck seemed to be the weakest link, with her wooden acting and failure to exude sexiness as the femme fatale role. It did not help that the part of MacMurray and Stanwyck falling in love was too quick to be believable, and that the step-daughter actress was prettier. Another moment that made it hard to accept was that the salesman's clammed up after the deed was done, yet his wily boss of eleven years cannot notice his behavior change?
It was fun to listen to the dialogue, get caught up in the suspense, and appreciate the film noir imagery. But the flaws made this film seem overrated with its "classic" label.
What I would change
Cast a more seductive actress as the wife.
