Double Indemnity (1944)

In 1938 Los Angeles, an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) is attracted to the wife (Barbara Stanwyck) of one of his clients (Tom Powers). Together, they plot the murder of her husband made to look like an accident so they can get $100,000 in insurance money. Based on the novella by James M. Cain and directed by Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Raymond Chandler. This is one of those very rare movies that are sheer perfection. You can't fault it. I don't think you can even nitpick. Well, maybe the drippy daughter played by Jean Porter but that is nitpicking. The script, the acting, the cinematography, the Miklos Rozsa underscore, the editing are all flawless. This is the film that defines film noir and certainly John Seitz' B&W lensing set the standard for what noir should look like. All three leads (the third is Edward G. Robinson as MacMurray's colleague) at the peak of their talents and it's easily the best performance MacMurray has ever given. Stanwyck's calculating femme fatale set the benchmark for all future noir temptresses. With Porter Hall, Byron Barr and Fortunio Bonanova.