Nick, the Devil, (Claude Rains) allows murdered gangster Eddie Kagle (Paul Muni) to return to life in the body of a lookalike judge, hoping to destroy the judge's good reputation. Eddie's got plans of his own, namely getting revenge on the man who killed him. But neither Eddie nor Nick counted on the judge's fiancée (Anne Baxter), whose love may put Eddie on the side of the angels for once.Very entertaining movie. I've always enjoyed Paul Muni's acting style. He can be very broad and hammy but really knock it out of the park for the emotional scenes. It's a nice blend that sets him apart from most of his contemporaries. Here he's a lot of fun playing a gangster with attitude but when it comes time to get serious he doesn't miss a beat. Claude Rains is also great. There usually was a little bit of the Devil in Mr. Rains' roles so this is a perfect fit for him. Anne Baxter is lovely as always. It's a good fantasy movie with some romance and a lot of humor. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Eddie Kagle (Paul Muni) is shot dead by Smiley (Hardie Albright) but is given a second chance at life by Nick (Claude Rains). Nick is Satan and is concerned that he's not getting enough followers these days. Eddie's task is to take over the body of Judge Parker and start misbehaving and corrupting a few people. In return, Nick promises that Eddie can avenge his death by killing Smiley. With the deal struck, Nick and Eddie set about their business. However, circumstances don't go as planned and Nick hadn't counted on the influence that Judge Parker's fiancée, Barbara (Anne Baxter) exerts over Eddie......This film is a comedy that is very funny due to Eddie's out-of-character behaviour as Judge Parker. The 3 main characters are all very good in their parts. Claude Rains is a stylish devil while Anne Baxter is a strong-minded woman who holds her own in the face of her husband's character transformation. We are carried along with the story of incidents that go wrong and witness the growing bond that develops between the characters of Barbara and Eddie Kagle, posing as the Judge. Alongside the humour, we have emotional moments as we realize that Eddie and Barbara's love is a love that can never be. It's sad and it made me cry. Paul Muni and Anne Baxter express their separate heartbreaks very convincingly, while Claude Rains is always amusing in his role.It's a fun story. What a shame that the quality of the picture isn't very good. Oh, and by the way, hell isn't actually like that at all.....

I have to say that my rating for this film is somewhat clouded because that is exactly what the films copy was, very cloudy. I can't believe there is not a restoration in line for this film from 1946, it is barely watchable and the sound mix is nigh on impossible to hear.The film is standard fare as regards the tale of the bad man gets a shot at life again, only here it's with a kicker, and watching this film unfold is never less than interesting without actually pulling up any trees. Paul Muni is fine and plays our main protagonists dual personality with credible verve, and Claude Rains is clearly enjoying himself as the devil of the piece, and I heartily applaud the dark shift the film took for its final reel, yet it is a hard film to reckie unless you can see and hear it properly.I have no hesitation in watching this film again if a restoration comes to pass, but until then I say approach with caution. 6/10

For a 'B' film, this is about the best you can get, surprisingly well acted and cleverly done, with a fine cast supporting an interesting story. It was my first look at Paul Muni, who expresses a wide range of emotions as the murdered gangster who returns to Earth in a switcheroo for a judge who's been restoring victims to a place in society at the expense of the Devil (Claude Rains). Once involved with the Devil's deal however, things don't go as old Beelzebub had planned; every effort to cast Judge Parker (Muni's alter-ego) in a bad light winds up making him an even bigger hero.One of the things you'll have to get past though is how those closest to the real Judge Parker, his fiancée Barbara (Anne Baxter) and butler Albert (George Cleveland), wind up accepting his severely out of character behavior. Albert had it right in declaring, "... I don't wish to alarm you, but the Judge is definitely not himself this morning."Claude Rains has always been one of my favorite actors from the 1940's era, ever since watching him as the French prefect in "Casablanca". He always sported elegance and charm, even while portraying the smarmiest characters. No different here, as Beelzebub/Mephistopheles/Satan, Rains is a cunning devil, but easily perturbed when things don't go his way. He also had some of the film's best lines, I got a particular kick out of his remark on the aborted airplane flight to St. Louis - "... being up so high makes me uncomfortable", acknowledging a violation of heavenly air space.One of the successes of the movie is the way it keeps you guessing how things will eventually turn out, with the transformation of gangster Eddie Kagle (Muni again) into a compassionate human being. In that regard, the picture borrows a page from the Warner Brothers societal agenda, examining how circumstances early in one's life can have a profound effect on it's outcome. The bittersweet ending finds Kagle a reformed spirit, unable to elude Lucifer's deadly deal, but leaving his mark nonetheless on those who's lives he touches.