Although the term was coined a couple of years after it was released, Double Indemnity is arguably the quintessential film noir, perhaps distilling the essence of the genre better than any other movie of the era (if indeed it is a genre – none other than Martin Scorsese described it as mood rather than a specific genre).

 

The start of a run of classics for director Billy Wilder, it provided the opportunity for its two leads (Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck) to play against type, with the redoubtable Edward G. Robinson rounding out the cast.

 

It’s a pinnacle of classic noir but more than that, it’s Golden Age of Hollywood filmmaking at its finest.