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Double Indemnity (1944)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Dark, dialogue-heavy classic of grim suspense.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The antihero is a once-honest man turned murderer, whose whole confession frames the movie. Even though he faces the consequences for his actions, he seems almost fatalistic, not apologetic, about his actions. But in the end he does prevent another murder. Phyllis is quite the "wicked stepmother" type, in addition to her other faults.

  • Violence:

    One man murders another with his bare hands, offscreen. Two people are shot at close range.

  • Sex:

    Phyllis seen briefly, clad demurely in a towel. Otherwise her seductive affair with Walter Neff is all talk, mood, and innuendo.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    The tie-in novel by James M. Cain.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Quite a bit of smoking, cigarettes, and cigars.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Double Indemnity (1944)

Parents need to know that this is a grim, downbeat "film noir" narrative. Evil doesn't triumph, but the main character makes bad choices and is pretty much doomed from the inception. He falls for another man's wife and tries to help her kill her husband (the woman also turns out to embody the worst sort of wicked-stepmother image, late in the story). There is nothing explicitly sensual in this narrative, even as much later "steamy erotic thrillers" copied the vibe and used it as an excuse for graphic sex and nudity. This one would merit just a PG today.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about Walter Neff, and why a smart, successful insurance salesman would throw away his life for a scheming woman. Are his motivations realistic, or more of a crossover from "film noir," the wave of pessimistic detective movies and moody crime thrillers that suddenly came out of 1940s Hollywood? What modern movies have you seen that remind you of the classic film noir style? You might get history-minded kids to look into the life and work of writers James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler who inspired this film, and even further back to the real-life 1927 Ruth Snyder/Judd Gray murder case that inspired this movie.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Voiceofthekids
    Lives in Arizona
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0

    Pretty cool

    I think this movie was based on a book, im not sure but it must have been a killer story! I love how the story unfolds, but surly not a young childeren movie, 13+ i say.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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