MAN WITH TWO LIVES (1942)
Article #858 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-21-2003
Posting Date: 12-18-2003
Directed by Phil Rosen
Featuring Edward Norris, Marlo Dwyer, Eleanor Lawson

When a man dies from shock after a car accident, he is brought back to life by a scientist; however, since he was revived at the same time a criminal was executed, the criminal’s soul has taken over his body.

Title check: It’s an appropriate enough title for this one.

The movie opens with a dog’s heart being kept alive, which I thought was amusing since I had just seen LIFE RETURNS before this. The basic idea is interesting enough, and the movie seems well acted throughout, though it is somewhat reminiscent of BLACK FRIDAY. It’s pretty standard stuff, though; entertaining, but a bit predictable. And someone should have had the good sense to cut out the last two minutes of the movie, in which a hoary old plot twist is trotted out that is doubly bad since the story was already over at that time.