Dead Again

Rating:
Summary: Damn Good Film!
Review: "Dead Again" was penned by Scott Frank ("Get Shorty", "Out of Sight") and is a perfect combination of comedy (which is often hidden, but very hilarious when you find it) and suspense.

The story involves Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh who also directs) who is asked to find out the identity of a woman who cannot talk ("Grace"--Ken's former wife Emma Thompson).

The story takes a little while to get started, but once it does, it is worth it as Grace gets regressed into a past life by a hypnotist (Derek Jacobi). The film has many plot twists and is all-around plain fun as things begin to unravel.

Also included on this DVD is a full-length feature commentary by Kenneth Branagh which is informative, but not so interesting. There is another commentary by writer Scott Frank and Producer Lindsay Doran which is also informative, but because of the chemistry between the two, it is humorous.

I think that anyone who enjoys the idea of Karma, good acting, Hitchcockian films, or Kenneth Branagh will enjoy this film.

Rating:
Summary: A superb thriller without a recycled plot!
Review: In the Hollywood world of the same plots and stories, this film always stands to the side as an original. At the time of this film's release, the idea of past lives, Karma, and reincarnation had not yet been beaten to death...so I found it to be very entertaining, and a film I still watch from time to time on a rainy afternoon.

An interesting story that captures you from the beginning and leaves you guessing "Who Done It?" all the way to the end. The reviewers who deem this worthy of Hitchcock are absolutely correct!

Both Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson are fabulous in this film...the chemistry between them is undeniable. Such a shame that it didn't work out for them in real life. This was a departure from the traditional Shakespearean roles that Branagh plays, however, his character in this film(as is Thompson's)is one you can warm up to immediately. The imagery and flashbacks to the 1940's are wonderful...you can tell that they were well orchestrated and are delivered with class. The film has a completely engrossing storyline as well...so many angles to absorb, so many possible endings pop into your head that the true ending is a surprise.

Wonderful performances by Derek Jacobi...he is tastily diabolical in this, as well as Andy Garcia (as the jaded reporter) and Robin Williams.

Even the most die hard hecklers of past lives theories and Karma can't help but enjoy this film...a very believable, entertaining film that you'll want to see more than once!

Rating:
Summary: Film Noir as only Branagh can do it
Review: This movie captures the world of Hitchcock and Bogart, in dramatic black and white (with color episodes) in a truly great presentation. Yes, the plot is threadbare, but no more so that those of Hitchcock's best, and irrelevant in any case, as the tension winds tighter and tighter, seeking a violent conclusion. Branagh is his usual self, so completely disappearing into his two roles, both with American accents, that he does not seem the same man who thrilled us in Henry V, delighted us in Much Ado, and took our breath away with Hamlet.

See it on a dark, winter night, with the lights low, and your arms around someone you adore. You will NOT be disappointed!

Mary F. Byrkit
20 January 2004

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Rating:
Summary: Never a Dead Moment
Review: Dead Again is a brilliant movie brought forth by Kenneth Branagh. This film is a murder mystery of the strongest content. It's not a typical murder mystery. This one takes us on a road of flashbacks and reincarnation. This film will keep you on edge as you watch the turmoil of Annie (Emma Thompson) an victim of traumatic amnesia and the private investigator(Kenneth Branagh). You'll also wonderful performances by Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, Campbell Scott, and Robin Williams to name a few. With Patrick Doyle's score intertwining throughout the film. This is a must see film for all not just mystery buffs. END

Rating:
Summary: A Classic thriller with that Fabulous Forties feeling
Review: This movie is a gem. Perfectly cast, superbly acted, it is a riveting double plot woven in and out of L.A of the 1940's and the 1990's.Love, passion, murder, reincarnation are all blended together in a thriller that is spellbinding in the fashion of Hitchcockian "film noir". Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson spark passion in past and present as Roman/Margaret - Mike/Grace. It is especially enjoyable to watch the enormously talented Mr. Branagh play a case-weary L.A. detective. Derek Jacobi also scores definitively in a supporting role laced with both charm and menace. This movie is absolutely a must for anyone who loves the vintage Hollywood romance-thrillers of the of the Forties. END

Rating:
Summary: not at Hitchcock's level.
Review: This movie has a good cast but it is not up to the level like the Hitchcock's movies.I like Emma Thompson and the cast in other movies that were good,but I had a hard time getting into the story.If Alfred Hitchcock was to had seen this movie he may be very angry at the writers and director.

Rating:
Summary: Hypnotic Thriller
Review: The casting for this movie is great. Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson are wonderful as the detective and woman who has no memory. Derek Jacobi is excellent as the hypnotist/antique dealer. Even Robin Williams small part of the Grocer/Ex-Analyst is good. I don't want to give to much away. In a nutshell a lovely lady is being lodged at a church until they can determine her identity. Better that than sending her to a mental institution for her screams of panic and fright that has her propping a chair against her door each night.

When they can no longer take her disruptiveness, the church calls on a detective that will work for gratis. The detective puts out an article in the paper and a two mysterious strangers appear. One to help her recall her identity with hypnosis and another to take advantage of her. When her hypnosis reveals a previous life and a murder, things get very interesting and suspenseful. I have seen this twice on TV and am now planning to buy it. The love story that evolves along with the mystery is very romantic. I think this must be underrated as I am surprised it didn't get more exposure.

Rating:
Summary: Hokey
Review: Considering the high caliber of the British cast (Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi), DEAD AGAIN is notable for being so corny.

Mike Church (Branagh) is a Los Angeles private gumshoe whose specialty is tracing missing persons. As a favor, he agrees to discover the identity of Grace (Thompson), an amnesiac who climbed over a fence to take refuge in a Catholic orphanage and who suffers nightmares that keep everyone awake from her screaming. Put under hypnosis by mesmerist/antique dealer Franklyn Madison (Jacobi), Grace reveals memories of the relationship between composer Roman Strauss (Branagh again) and his wife Margaret Strauss (Thompson again). In the late 1940s, Roman was convicted of fatally stabbing Margaret in the neck with a scissors, a crime for which he was executed in 1949. Franklyn drags out an old issue of "Life" magazine, and, golly, isn't it amazing how much Mike and Grace physically resemble Roman and Margaret. Subsequently, Mike goes under hypnosis also and ... well, you get the idea. And every chance the director (Branagh yet again) gets, he points the camera at a big, pointy scissors lying on Mike's living room table waiting for some mischief to get into.

At times, I wondered whether DEAD AGAIN was being presented as a comedy, drama, or parody. The too loud music soundtrack favored either the first or last. But, I finally decided on drama because the actors seemed to be taking the plot sufficiently seriously. Then, they overplayed their parts just to show the audience that they were having a jolly good time. (There were shots of a terrified Grace that almost had me laughing for their absurdity.) The result - a mess. There are some decent plot twists at the end, which, if the script could have evolved with more subtlety, would have resulted in an infinitely better suspense film and not such a silly melodrama.

Branagh, Thompson and Jacobi - what were they thinking?

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: I saw this movie on the Sci-Fi channel several years ago, and was quite surprised by the quality of the film. The acting is top-notch, and the story is filled with plenty of twists, but not so that it contradicts itself. Many times, I can spot the twist endings in movies before they're revealed, but the twist in "Dead Again" truly took me by surprise. I dinged it a star for a couple of reasons:
1.) There's questionable editing in one portion of the movie (when Church decides to get hypnotized--it feels like there's a scene missing there.)
2.) The climax. Not that the story wasn't concluded in the appropriate manner, it's just that the camera work is distracting to the main action, what with cutting between Church and Grace and their past lives.
Despite these minor flaws, "Dead Again" is my favorite suspense movie.

Rating:
Summary: Intense!
Review: Dead Again is a brilliant psychological thriller! It's riveting and breathtakingly suspenseful from start to finish, directed with style by Kenneth Branagh. Many imaginative homages to Hitchock--and this is as good as anything the master has directed. Branagh fashions a fascinating puzzle that contains its share of action, romance, dry wit, and (of course) twists & turns. And, unlike most thrillers, there's a distinct element of unpredictability to the latter.

Dead Again is a tale of parallel stories in different time frames. The first, which transpires in post-World War II Los Angeles and is presented entirely through black-and-white flashbacks, relates the tragic romance of Roman and Margaret Strauss (Branagh and his then-wife, Emma Thompson). Roman, a German expatriate, is a world-famous composer and conductor, and Margaret, a Brit relocated to North America, is an up-and-coming musician. They meet when Roman conducts Margaret's orchestra, and it's love at first sight. They are soon married, but their fairytale existence begins to fray. Margaret is suspicious that Roman's housekeeper, Inga (Hanna Schygulla), and her son, Frankie (Gregor Hesse), may be stealing from Roman. He, in turn, is wary of her relationship with a reporter named Gray Baker (Andy Garcia), who appears to be exceeding the bounds of friendly propriety. This all leads to murder (I'm not giving anything away here, since this is revealed during an opening montage of newspaper clippings). Margaret is stabbed to death using a pair of scissors, an expensive anklet is stolen, and Roman is arrested and convicted. He goes to the electric chair claiming to be innocent.

The other part of the story occurs in 1991 Los Angeles, where a solitary private investigator, Mike Church (Branagh), has been requested by a local priest to uncover the identity of a pretty woman (Thompson) who has lost her voice and her memory. (She is given the faux name of Grace.) Mike's friend, newspaper man Pete (Wayne Knight), puts her photograph in the local paper, and the only respondent is a hypnotist/junk dealer named Franklyn Madison (Derek Jacobi), who believes that a trauma from the woman's past life may be causing her mute amnesia. He puts "Grace" under, and she begins to see visions from Roman and Margaret's life. She regains her voice, but not her memory, and, as she and Mike grow closer, she cannot avoid noticing similarities between their relationship and that of Roman and Margaret. As she looks more deeply into the past, she begins to fear Mike, sensing that he could be Roman re-incarnated and that the murder of 45 years ago may be about to happen again. Then, when Mike agrees to be hypnotized, he uncovers a startling secret.

Although Dead Again's story is complicated, Branagh presents it in a clear, straightforward manner that leaves little room for confusion. Each of the plot twists is exposed with suitable buildup, maintaining viewer interest. The characters, both past and present, are remarkably well-developed, and there is a legitimate sense of uncertainty concerning Roman's guilt. He may have gone to the electric chair for Margaret's murder, but did he really commit the deed? Branagh keeps us guessing until the plot demands the disclosure of the truth. When it comes to interweaving the two stories and offering a fulfilling resolution, Branagh and screenwriter Scott Frank do not disappoint us.

This definitely stands out as one of the most intriguing and memorable thrillers of the 1990s. My heart nearly stopped beating during the very intense finale.All in all, a wonderful flick - highly entertaining and intriguing; a great throwback to film noir with a kicky karmic twist. Recommended!