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Wonderful character development!

Overrated

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In the 1930s and 40s, Monogram Pictures made quite a few low-budget horror films—and, amazingly, a lot of them were about resurrections of the dead that turned out very badly! Among the ones I've seen, "The Man With Two Lives" is probably the worst. Part of it is because the plot idea is silly and part of it is because the ending is just awful.Edward Norris stars as Philip Bennett—a nice young man from a rich family. However, just before his marriage, he has a bad car accident and is killed. HOWEVER, being a resurrection of the dead film, it just so happens that his father has been working on a process to revive the dead! He's done it on animals, so why not try it out on his son? After all, the guy's body is in one piece—he just died from shock.One Philip is revived, the film gets really, really odd (even by the standards of the genre). It seems obvious to everyone but the characters in the film that after Philip died, he somehow switched souls with a serial killer who was just executed. However, there really is no explanation for any of this! I must admit, seeing Norris running amok killing folks with little provocation was pretty funny---but the WHY never was explained. This is a big problem with the film—but the ending, yecch! It turns out in the end that it is all a dream!!! Philip was in a coma from the accident and dreamed everything!!! Now, he's awake and just swell!!!! It's like the Patrick Duffy death on "Dallas"—it was all just a bad dream!! Talk about wimping out and leaving the audience hanging! Overall, an entertaining film that ends so badly I really wish I'd seen something else! Shame on you, Monogram!

Engaging tale of transmigration of the soul, which apparently afflicts a young man after he's revived from death following a fatal automobile accident. Just so happens he's been resurrected the same night as a notorious and unscrupulous killer is executed - his subsequent criminal behaviour concerning to not only his family, oblivious to his double life, but also his new gang, who live in fear of his ruthless streak.Norris is pretty chilling at times as the cold-blooded killer, who nonchalantly offs just about anyone who presents a risk to his authority. Keane, Burton and Sothern play the trio of elders who presided over his ill-fated re-animation, now desperately trying to understand the reasoning for his out-of-character behaviour, and mysterious disappearances. Addison Richards has a neat little side dish of a role playing a savvy detective with whom Norris shares a scene in which the two trade feigned small talk, in a game of brinkmanship till just one is left standing.It's a surprisingly taut, violent and compelling picture the only real issue I took was with the dual ending, the almost post-script conclusion of which, in my opinion, was unnecessary and retrograde. Listen out for some memorable dialogue too like "he lets his rod off at every opportunity and doesn't care in which direction it's pointed". We're talking about a revolver obviously, but it still cracks me up.

Well, it is a Monogram quickie from the dreaded period of the '40s when poverty row studios put out a good many "horror" films that are almost unimaginably dull... So I was expecting the worst. The story concerns a doctor who has been working on a way to restore life to the dead through the use of a room full of non-utilitarian electrical devices which spark nicely. There is a dog's heart hanging under a bell jar and twitching fitfully, which we are informed is proof that his method is perfected.A brief discussion of the metaphysical implications and mention of an important plot point precede the inevitable death of a young man who is revived in a rather undramatic sequence - undramatic even with the sparks. The important plot point is that a convicted murderer is being executed just at midnight, which turns out to be exactly when the young man is revived. It is no surprise that the young man is very different after his experience; apparently amnesiac and with a strange desire to visit the haunts of the underworld and become acquainted with certain gangsters...It's hard to explain why this all is not completely unwatchable, but perhaps it suffices to say that it's mildly interesting and contains several murders and a couple of interesting characters. Towards the end it even begins to move along with a bit of real tension and a confrontation that is downright Hitchcockian. SPOILERI have to warn of a very, very bad ending. A tagged on unnecessary, pain in the ass sorta ending. After the plot resolves rather effectively...You know the sort of thing... It's all a dream. Never happened.

**SPOILERS** Predictable movie, up until the final few minutes, about a major change of life, or soul, of a decent person about to be married to his childhood sweetheart. Who turns into a cold blooded serial murder due to a sudden switch in personalities. Having studied and put into practice his theories of life after death in the laboratory, with dogs and cats, Dr. Dick Clark,Edward Keane, thinks that he can do the same thing with human beings. Fascinated with convicted serial murderer Wolf Panino who's due to be executed by the state Dr. Clark asks him if he can donate his body to him or science after he's put away for good by a 2,000 volt jolt of electricity. But the unfeeling for the future of humanity and arrogant Panino told the good doctor to take a hike and get lost.Attending a party at the home of his good fiend Hobart Bennett, Fredrick Burton, who's son Philip, Edward Norris, is soon to marry young and pretty Louise Hammond played by a very young looking but, 67 years old if you believe she was born in 1875, grandmotherly Eleanor Lawson. Taking a ride home in his car it seems like Philip has been driving for some time as he swerves to avoid a truck and crashes right in front of his father's house with his head smashing against the car's dashboard. Not bothering to get Philip to the hospital Mr. Bennett together with Dr. Clark and Prof.Toller, Hugh Sothern, take him into the house only to find out that he died of shock. Hobart pleading that Dr. Clark save his son's life through the use of Soul Transmigration, that he perfected in his laboratory, has the doctor do just that! But what nobody knew at the time was that the convicted killer Wolf Panino was being executed at that very moment and his soul was "transmigrated" into Philips body! This resulting in the resurrection of the dead murderer. You can easily imagine the rest of the movie with Philip, now controlled by the dead murderer Panino personality or soul, going back to his old hunting grounds in the city slums and taking control of his old gang. After offing it's new leader Mitch Larson, Jack Buckley. Back home Philip's family and fiancée are shocked by the sudden change of his personality. It's isn't until his father and Prof. Toller follow him to his gang headquarters at the Sporadys Bar and Grill that they finally realize just who Philip really is. Philip goes back to the old ways of Wolf Panino murdering anyone who gets in, or tries to get out of, his way including his old girlfriend Helen, Marlow Dwyer. Helen finds out that the new gang leader is from the richer part of town and that his father,Mr. Hobart Bennett, is a major banker in NYC. Continuing on his crime spree Philip is cornered in his father place, who was throwing a big birthday party for him, and is forced to reveal his "secret identity" after blasting away a cop Det. Bradley, Addison Richards, who invited himself to the party; as he was out looking for Philip after him and his gang committed a warehouse robbery in the neighborhood. The surprise ending made the movie worth while since it help explain all the ridicules incidents that happened in it as just being a figment of one's imagination after he hit his head a bit too hard.