The Postman Always Rings Twice
A cult noir classic, a brutally honest depiction of lust, greed and an unforgiving fate. Written in raw, fast language, without any moralizing – the pure essence of the American hard-boiled novel.
Frank Chambers, a drifter and petty thief, stops at a gas station/restaurant on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The owner Nick Papadakis, a good-natured but naive Greek, offers him a job. Frank agrees as soon as he sees Cora, Nick's young, beautiful and disaffected wife. An instant, animal passion flares up between them.
Cora hates her life and dreams of escaping. Frank and Cora quickly become lovers and decide to kill Nick in order to take over the bar and live together. The first attempt (a fake bathtub accident) fails. The second, a staged car accident in which Frank crashes Nick's car into a cliff, works – Nick is dead and they're free.
However, prosecutor Sachs cunningly separates them: Cora signs a confession to save herself, Frank is accused. Attorney Katz saves them by having Cora accuse Frank of blackmail, but proves that her confession was coerced as well. They are both freed, return to the gas station and get married.
Passion turns into hatred and distrust. Cora becomes pregnant, but after an argument, Frank drives her to the beach – and they get into a real car accident. Cora dies, Frank is convicted of her murder. He awaits his death in a cell, convinced that the messenger of justice will still “ring twice” for his first crime.
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