|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
Murder will out every time, Jul 5 2004
James M. Cain's reputation as a master of the noir genre rests largely on his phenomenally grim 1934 story "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and this short tale, the 1935 classic "Double Indemnity." No other noir writer's reputation-whether Raymond Chandler, Dashell Hammett, or Cornell Woolrich-rests on only two stories. Well, you could throw in "Mildred Pierce" as another Cain classic, but that still leaves only three bleak yarns worth mentioning. How is it possible to sustain a literary legacy based on two, maybe three, stories that you could read in three single sittings? Think movies. You can thank Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler for Cain's enduring legacy. These two guys collaborated on the script for "Double Indemnity" the film, a film that has since become one of the classics of American cinema. And don't forget Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her work in the screen version of "Mildred Pierce." Too, if memory serves correctly, there are two film versions of "The Postman Always Rings Twice," one of them starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. If I were a writer, I wouldn't be too enthusiastic that my legacy rested on film versions of my stories. From what I've read of the noir masters, Cain isn't nearly as good of a storyteller as Chandler, Hammett, or Woolrich. He isn't as good as Jim Thompson or David Goodis either, for that matter."Double Indemnity" tells the disastrous story of one Walter Huff. An insurance salesman working a route in California in the 1930s, Huff spends his days trying to get clients to increase their insurance holdings. His life changes for the worse when he calls on a household where he falls under the poisonous charms of Phyllis Nirdlinger, the wife of a wealthy oil executive. When this woman inquires about procuring an accident policy for her husband in case he "happens to have an accident" while inspecting oil wells, Huff knows something is up. In his business, no one approaches an agent about buying accident insurance unless there's a nefarious murder plot in the works. At first repelled by Phyllis's roundabout suggestions to dispatch her husband, he soon falls in line with the plot by insuring her husband with a double indemnity accident policy that will pay tens of thousands of dollars in case the poor chap expires in a railway mishap. What follows is noir carried to the nth degree, as both Huff and his new girlfriend hatch the plot in minute detail. The insurance agent plans his alibi with the sort of meticulous attention one would associate with a master criminal. He coaches Phyllis on the finer points of speaking to the police, dealing with inquests, and interacting with the insurance agency. She'll need all the help she can get because Huff knows that the head of the claims department, Keyes, is one tough bulldog when it comes to investigating scams. The actual crime, which involves Huff playing a central role in the murder, is a foul play masterpiece. No one should ever take a fall in this expertly carried out misdeed, but in James Cain's world murder will out every time. In no time at all, Keyes and the president of the insurance company balk at paying out a huge claim. After bandying around the idea that Nirdlinger took his own life, Keyes arrives at a suspicion of foul play. This conclusion sets in motion a whole host of maneuvers requiring Huff to take greater and greater measures to keep the whole thing under wraps. Complicating things are Lola, Phyllis's stepdaughter, and her boyfriend Nino Sachetti. Up until the explosive revelations preceding the conclusion, Huff still looks like he will get away with the wicked deed. The crime is brilliant with one huge exception: Walter Huff, insurance agent and murderer, forgot to investigate Phyllis Nirdlinger's background. If he had, Huff probably would never have jumped into this mess with both feet. Oops. "Double Indemnity" the book isn't nearly as good as "The Postman Always Rings Twice." I had several problems with the story, the biggest being Keyes's quick analysis of what really happened to Phyllis's husband. No one, neither the police nor an insurance claims investigator, could figure this crime out with the ease that Keyes does. Another difficulty with the story is the conclusion. Once everything shakes out, I simply didn't buy what happened to Phyllis and Huff. Too, it just isn't a satisfying conclusion for a noir story. I also had a problem with Walter's sudden change of heart after he removed Nirdlinger from the scene. Here's a guy who is cool and collected, a guy who delivers a lengthy speech about how to commit a coldhearted murder without getting caught and why he is willing to rip-off the insurance company, and then he turns into a nervous nelly after the crime. It is conceivable that this could happen, but it didn't work here. Despite these problems, noir fans will want to spend a few hours with "Double Indemnity." The book is exceedingly short, the story moves at a lightening fast clip, and the characters are interesting. After reading the book, make sure to check out the film versions of "Double Indemnity," "Mildred Pierce," and "The Postman Always Rings Twice." Then spend even more of your time reading Chandler, Woolrich (especially Woolrich), and Hammett. As someone who has read a fair share of noir novels, I think you will like these other three authors more than you will like Cain. I shall give "Double Indemnity" four stars because most of the book works, but it's definitely a lesser entry in the noir canon.
|
by Russell Banks
by Stephen King
by James M. Cain
by MALCOLM X
by Raymond Chandler
