Double Indemnity (1944) - For a lot of people, the beginning, middle and end of film noir. Billy Wilder's thriller contains virtually every element that's become synonymous with the genre, from Barbara Stanwyck's irresistible bad girl to Fred MacMurray's hapless sap. As with most every movie he made, Edward G Robinson's the undisputed star of the show, investigating an insurance scam concocted by the duplicitous lovers. But from the pungent screenplay (adapted from the James M Cain book by Wilder and the great Raymond Chandler) to the sinister score of Miklos Rosza, everything about Double Indemnity reeks of menace and intrigue. By the final reel, you'll not only be enthralled but might well feel in need of a shower.
Out Of The Past (1947) - Also known as Build My Gallows High, Jacques 'Cat People' Tourneur's moody mystery is another archetypal noir. This time it's the mighty Robert Mitchum who comes a cropper thanks to the combination of the drop-dead gorgeous Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas's no-good gambler. One of the undisputed greats of ye olde Hollywood, Mitch's performance here proves that you don't have to do an awful lot to be utterly captivating. Remade - quite atrociously - as Against All Odds in 1984, Out Of The Past is a film that exists in complicated flashbacks and impenetrable shadows. See it once and you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Catch it a second time and it'll be under your fingernails forever.
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