Among the bottom of the barrel for murder dramas is the trope of the evil or crazy identical twin. This concept is as cliché as just about any other concept out there, with spoofs galore lampooning just how tired a trope this really is. Among the Living plays firmly into these genre clichés while doing absolutely nothing to try and rise above them. The result then is a film that has nothing new to say, has no real suspense, and is dreadfully dull on top of it all.
The plot involves John Raden (Albert Dekker), heir to a textile fortune who has returned home for his father’s funeral. John has been absent, estranged from his father, for twenty-five years. Upon his return, he discovers that his twin brother, Paul, whom he believed to have died in their youth, is still alive and being kept hidden from the public. Paul is insane and has been kept locked up for years with a fake funeral staged by the family to explain away his disappearance. Paul soon escapes his handler, and deaths begin to occur. Naturally, when Paul is seen during one of these assaults, the townspeople assume it is John who is guilty, and they join together to put an end to the attacks.
Nothing here is of particular interest. This is in large part due to the disappointing script credited to Garrett Fort and Lester Cole, who lean heavily into tropes that were overdone even then. Stuart Heisler’s direction doesn’t help things either, as it feels stagnant and uninspired, like the man was checked out during the production, simply cashing in a check. It’s disappointing because Albert Dekker is doing his best with poor material, and you can tell he is trying to give a legitimate duo performance here. But he is simply let down on all sides by a combination of things that are completely out of his control. 1941 - 69 minutes
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