Rating: 
Summary: Not Flawless, But Not All Bad
Review: While Dead Again's plot could be unauthentic and Branagh's direction a tad heavy-handed (especially in the orchestrated build-up to the final countdown), the film was actually laden with highly viewable flashbacks in the form of well-shot black-and-white footages. Ominous foreshadowing techniques and double roles were skillfully sprinkled in refrain to denote the film's central message - past and present lives were meant to be inextricably intertwined. Plus, for seriously tuned-in viewers, innumerable hints would be flashed before your eyes lest one were ever inclined to feel cheated in the end. The cast was competent, from Branagh's portrayal of the doomed composer Strauss; Jacobi's psychotic MadSon character; Robin William's seedy shrink to Garcia's dandy reporter. While the film only showcased a bunch of not-so-hot English thespians, if one were willing to relinquish one's biases, the ride could be a surprisingly pleasant one.
Rating: 
Summary: How funny
Review: I love this movie. Not because it is really good but because it is really horribly bad. If you don't find the incredibly exaggerated accents funny then maybe the corny lines and hilarious plot will be hysterical. By far the best line has to be "These are for you!" in the worst German accent ever. Don't buy it because some great actors are in it, buy it for the laughs.
Rating: 
Summary: If not in this life, then in the next
Review: Expecting a thriller of the film noire genre, I was quite disappointed to see an unbelievably far-fetched story, with suggestions about re-encarnation at its center. The leads, as well as the supporting cast appear instantly at ease with believing in re-encarnation, as well as the power of "fate". The character of a former psychiatrist-turned-meat-cutter, played by Robin Willimas, not only instantly "buys" the life after death hokus pokus, but without hesitation suggests that the main character kill his "wife from a former life", to "beat her to the punch".
Towards the end there is an elaborate multi-layered scene that is rather fascinating. It lasts about 2-3 minutes. The rest of the film is insultingly rediculous. If you must see this huddled mess of a film, watch for how one of the supporting characters speaks with an exaggerated German accent, decades later the accent is an exaggerated British one. The identical looks of characters who died some 40 years ago (captured by LIFE magazine stories) and the present day counter parts doesn't seem to phase any of the characters. I have never seen Emma Thompson in a lesser film. This effort is forgettable. Save yourself the disappointment, I wish I had.**
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 mfbyrkit@comcast.net
Rating:
Summary: Neuvo Drama
Review: This movie stands out for a number of reasons. The method of intermixing black and white and color to show when in time we were was done nicely along with some beautiful camera work. The acting and story is excellent which leads one to wonder why the film didn't receive more recognition. Be sure to at least rent this movie. I think you will see that it is worth adding to anyones DVD collection.
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.
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