It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Taken by his performance in the superb 1934 Film Noir Crime Without Passion,I was excited to recently discover that the BBC had shown a rarely mentioned Claude Rains movie,which led to me looking at my shoulders.The plot:Freed from jail,gangster Eddie Kagle gets picked up by his old friend Smiley Williams. Barely driving a mile,Williams catches Kagle by surprise,by grabbing his gun and killing him. Waking up from the shots,Kagle discovers that he has ended up in hell! Spotting him,"Nick" goes up to Kagle and tells him that he resembles a saintly Judge called Frederick Parker,who has been causing Nick problems.Desperate to get rid of Parker,Nick offer Kagle the chance for his soul to be transferred into Parker,on the catch that Kagle must ruin Parker's run in the upcoming election. Returning to earth,Kagle soon begins to feel that he does not want to leave it in the hellish state he last left it.View on the film:Going to hell in a hand-basket within the first 5 minutes,director Archie Mayo (who argued with Paul Muni during production) kicks his final movie off with a blazing opening that covers the title in a devilish Film Noir atmosphere,as burning pits of fire and risqué clothes give the afterlife an ultra-stylised fetish gloss. Keeping the fire simmering on earth,Mayo and cinematographer James Van Trees keep the burning hell pulling Kagle back from his glimpses of heaven,with tightly threaded shots always keeping the devil in the corner,ready to push Kagle back in line.Changed from its original title Me and Satan over fears that no one would watch a flick with Satan in the title,the screenplay by Harry Segall & Roland Kibbee strike the fire of the Film Noir with the cooling down orders of The Hays Code. Firing things up by sending Kagle straight to hell,the writers do tame some of the flames by having Kagle discover some morals (boo!) but nicely undermine them with satirical "small town" punch-ups and a delightfully cynical Film Noir final smoke.Staying away from the screen for 8 years after making this, Paul Muni gives a terrific performance as Kagle and Parker,who are each given a strong contrast by Muni with Parker having a walking on water saintly manner which is burnt down by the chomping with fury, hellish off the cuff dialogue from Film Noir loner Kagle. Sliding along in the darkness, Claude Rains gives a devilish performance as Nick,thanks to Rains layering on the charm whilst keeping Nick's vicious intentions intact,as Kagle soon discovers that what is on his shoulder is not an angel.

ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER (United Artists, 1946), directed by Archie Mayo, stars Paul Muni in one of his finer film efforts in his latter movie career. An interesting yet unusual project for the Academy Award winning actor best known for solid dramatic roles and historic figures where his facial make-up in thirties screen performances of Louis Pasteur, Emile Zola and Benito Juarez at Warner Brothers allowed him to appear in almost unrecognizable manner, Muni, who wouldn't allow himself to fall victim in type-casting, assumes his first gangster role since SCARFACE (United Artists, 1932). Rather than playing an Italian accented gang leader who becomes the "shame of a nation," this time Muni does one better, that of a tough-talking American mug who never got passed the third grade who learns a moral lesson during his second chance in life.Opening title: "This story is about Eddie Kagle, who based his way of living on what Omar Khayyam once said: 'Live fully while you may and reckon not the cost.'" After serving a four year prison term, Eddie Kagle (Paul Muni), gangster, walks out freely into the world where he's greeted by his boyhood pal and partner, "Smiley" Williams (Hardie Albright). As Eddie's being taken for a ride, he asks Smiley for his gun. Four shots are fired. The spirit of Eddie Kagle ends up in the pits of hell, surrounded by heat, lava, fire, darkness and the smell of "rotten eggs." Along the way he comes across other lost souls bound to eternal condemnation. Because Eddie happens to be the spitting image of a Judge Frederick Parker, an honest politician running for governor, Nick (Claude Rains), the devil, wanting to take more souls with him into hell, allows Kagle temporary freedom outside Hades to avenge his killer in exchange for he assuming the body of Judge Parker to dishonor his good name. Upon his return to Earth, Kagle, assuming Parker's identity after collapsing in the courtroom. While following Nick's plan, Eddie unwittingly fails in his assignment through unforeseen circumstances. Having found love with Barbara Foster (Anne Baxter), the judge's secretary and fiancée, the devil uses every possible motive to tempt Eddie into sin, even to a point of having him come face to face with Smiley. With an "angel on his shoulder," Eddie comes up with some plans of his own.A fantasy-comedy with warmth and humor, the original story, credited to Harry Segall, very much borrows from his own premise of the motion picture classic, HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (Columbia, 1941), starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains, only in reverse. Changing the emphasis from Heaven to Hell and Claude Rains assuming similar duties from guardian angel to guardian demon, with parallel ideas in different directions, the film overall is quite entertaining. More talk than action, with Muni taking full control of his actions, showing two sides of his nature, it is Rains who holds his own in fine support as he did in HERE COMES MR. JORDAN. Although Anne Baxter seems too youthful to be playing Muni's love interest to his other character, her performance with uplift forties hairstyle and mature mannerisms overcomes such obstacles. Other members of the cast include: Onslow Stevens (Doctor Max Higgins, Parker's psychiatrist); George Cleveland (Albert, Parker's servant); James Flavin, Jonathan Hale, Ben Weldon and Addison Richards, among others.By the time the made-for-television remake of ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER starring Peter Strauss, Richard Kiley and Barbara Hershey was released in 1980, the 1946 original, which had fallen into public domain, was soon revived on many public television and local TV stations after two decades away from the TV markets. Availability onto video cassette from numerous distributors and DVD followed, with latter cable television broadcasts on American Movie Classics (1991) and Turner Classic Movies (2003 onward).While the nearly forgotten Paul Muni name rests on his powerful performance in I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (Warner Brothers, 1932), any movie that has Muni perform a tender love scene, acting drunk and teaming up with the devil, can't be all bad. (*** halos)

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.

Paul Muni leads a talented cast in Archie Mayo's dark comedy about a wise-guy (Eddie Kagle/Muni) who, murdered, finds himself entangled in one of Satan's (Claude Rains) schemes to outwit his arch-rival and steal the soul of a righteous judge who happens to look exactly like Kagle. Kagle is willing to do the devil's handiwork as long as he can get revenge upon his murderer. But living vicariously in the life of a good man (Judge Parker), loved by an even better woman (Barbara/Anne Baxter) Kagle begins to question the evils of his life.While Angel on my Shoulder is not quite a redemption story, it endows its characters with just enough conscience to make them sympathetic. The characterizations are strong - especially for the three leads - Muni, Rains and Baxter. All three are excellent, and help to make the film worth watching. The script is good, and occasionally very clever, but also slips once in a while. The pace is steady though not brisk. The cinematography is, at times, a bit hokey, but this fits the occasional lapses into silliness which the story indulges.Recommended for young adults and older adults. Aspects of the film may frighten younger viewers and some of the key humor may not be appropriate for kids.