| Director | Billy Wilder |
|---|---|
| Genre | crime film, drama film, film based on a novel, film noir, flashback film |
| Runtime | 107 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $927,000 |
as Walter Neff and Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson]] Wounded from a gunshot, insurance salesman Walter Neff stumbles late at night into his empty Los Angeles office. He records a dictaphone confession for claims manager Barton Keyes.
One year earlier, Neff flirts with Phyllis Dietrichson during a house call about her husband's automobile insurance. Phyllis asks about getting a policy on Mr. Dietrichson's life without his knowledge. Neff is fascinated by her. He wants no part in her murderous plan but is tempted to use his expertise to outsmart the insurance company. Later, Phyllis visits his apartment. A romantic relationship ensues. Neff concocts a plan to take out the additional insurance, murder Dietrichson, and frame it as a train-related accident to trigger the policy's double indemnity clause with a higher payout.
Neff slips the accident policy into Dietrichson's automotive insurance renewal paperwork. He signs it unawares, but soon breaks his leg, which complicates and delays the scheme. Phyllis drives Dietrichson to a train station. Neff hides in the back seat and strangles Dietrichson. Wearing a plaster cast, he poses as Dietrichson aboard the train.
Planning to jump off the rear of the train, he is surprised by another passenger. Neff keeps his face hidden and asks the passenger to fetch his cigars. When the man is gone, Neff jumps off the train, reunites with Phyllis, and stages Dietrichson's body on the tracks.
Neff's boss believes Dietrichson committed suicide. A dogged claims manager proud of his eye for fraud, Keyes scoffs it is statistically implausible. Keyes wonders why Dietrichson did not file a claim after breaking his leg. He begins to suspect Phyllis and an accomplice murdered Dietrichson. Reasoning that Dietrichson was unaware of the policy, Keyes questions Neff, who confirms Dietrichson signed the policy. The ordinarily suspicious Keyes does not question Neff's account.
Phyllis' stepdaughter Lola visits Neff. Phyllis was her mother's nurse. She fears Phyllis killed her mother. Lola also saw Phyllis trying on mourning clothes several days before Dietrichson's death. She fears Phyllis will kill her next in order to get the money. Neff is the first person Lola confided in, having recently quarreled with her hotheaded boyfriend Nino Zachetti. The extent of Phyllis' perfidy starts to dawn on Neff.
Keyes finds the witness from the train. He confirms that the man he saw on the train does not match Dietrichson's photos but fails to recognize Neff. Neff warns Phyllis against pursuing the insurance claim in court and insists they should not see each other until the investigation ends. Nino has been visiting Phyllis every night since the murder, and Keyes suspects Nino is her accomplice.
Neff fears Phyllis is manipulating Nino to eliminate him and kill Lola. He confronts Phyllis and threatens to kill her. Phyllis shoots Neff. He moves closer and dares her to shoot again, but she does not. She says she never loved him "until a minute ago, when I couldn't fire that second shot." As they embrace, Neff shoots her twice with her gun. As Neff leaves, he sees Nino walking up to the house and urges him to make up with Lola.
As he finishes confessing, Neff sees Keyes in the office. Neff asks for a head start to flee to Mexico, but he collapses in the doorway. As they wait for an ambulance, the two men confirm their friendship.