Who's Walter Neff???

1. In film noir, many of the male leads are weak, frustrated men. While you are watching Double Indemnity, make a mental note of Walter Neff’s characteristics. What kind of man is he? What is his relationship like with women?
Walter Neff was a typical guy, some would call him tall-dark-and-handsome. He was well dressed, smooth talking, and good at his job. He was probably somewhere between 20 and 30 years old, yet was not married or dating anyone. He seemed to be happy and chirpy by the way he walked and talked, he was optimistic about life (at the beginning of his story). At first he seems to be a womanizer by the way he talks to Phyllis, talking smoothly and flattering her. However, as the movie progresses we see him become entranced by this woman who he thinks loves him. He ends up doing things he wouldn't normally do-the main being killing a man. He goes from being this seemingly strong character, to a man being weakened by his blind optimism and love for Phyllis.

Maybe Walter has been selective when it came to women in the past, or maybe he hadn't quite found that one person, so when he thought it was Phyllis, he was willing to do anything for her. Walter seemed to be a good-hearted man in the beginning, and yet slowly Phyllis tainted his goodness. First by making him fall for a married woman, second, by making him kill a man in her defense, and eventually, killing Phyllis, herself. We can tell Walter isn't originally evil because he reluctantly agrees to plotting against Phyllis's husband. Yet, possibly that integrity we see is just a cover because if he was truly good-hearted, he might not have killed in the first place. Walter seemed to be very
flimsy- not really firmed in his beliefs, or himself.

Although what Walter did- aiding in killing Phyllis's husband- was probably a dumb move, Walter was very smart in how he did it. He was a very smart man, as seen in his outstanding sales in the Insurance Company, and if it weren't for his own confession, he would have gotten away with the murder. Which then turns back to his good-heartedness. Again, he shows the audience that although he has done horrible things throughout the movie, he cannot let another man go down for his mistakes, and he admits the whole story.  I would say that Walter Neff is a good man, tricked into doing bad things for someone he loves, and that he can't be blamed for falling astray to the woman completely.

So one could say that Walter Neff is a highly confusing man-but then again what man isn't?