Rating: 
Summary: One of Branagh's best
Review: Dead Again was my first exposure to both Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and it is a film that I am very fond of. I remember seeing it for the first time late one evening when I was home alone; I couldn't have been more than 12 years old at the time. The film really made a big impression on me: the dramatic music, the swirling camera moves, not to mention the genuinly creepy performance by Branagh as Roman Strauss, really scared me. So much so that I didn't sleep that night. Today it doesn't scare me that much - but it is an entertaining film nevertheless. The plot is a classic murder mystery with a supernatural twist. If you can accept the theatrics of the script and Branagh's direction, it is a very exiting and engrossing film; the kind of stylish, noir-thiller which does not get made any longer. Hitchcock would have loved it, I'm sure. And if you have a fondness for old Hollywood-style thillers, Dead Again is certainly worth your money.
Rating:
Summary: Classy, Noir-ish, Stylish, and Very Memorable
Review: Although he received tremendous praise for his memorable film production of Shakespeare's HENRY V, DEAD AGAIN was the film that really introduced actor/director Kenneth Branagh to mainstream American film, and for a time he and then-wife Emma Thompson were the most celebrated acting couple since Olivier and Leigh. The marriage did not last, but fortunately this film did--and I say fortunately, for although it is somewhat forgotten today, DEAD AGAIN is an overlooked jewel of a film: classy, noir-ish, stylish, and very memorable indeed.The story is fanciful. In the late 1940s noted composer Roman Strauss was convicted of mudering his noted pianist wife Margaret, and was sentenced to death. Some forty years later, a young woman suffering from amnesia falls into the hands of a no-nonsense Los Angeles private eye--and under hypnosis she recalls not her immediate past, but the lives of Roman and Margaret. Is this reincarnation? Is she Margaret Strauss? Is the private eye to whom she is attracted but of whom she is also strangely fearful the reincarnation of Roman Strauss, Margaret's killer? Is history repeating itself? Scott Frank's clever script makes for a fast-paced, twisting, and fascinating plot-driven film--and it is flawlessly played by Branagh and Thompson, who assume dual roles as the 1940s Roman and Margaret Strauss and the 1980s Mike Church and Grace. The supporting cast is also excellent, with memorable performances by Andy Garcia and Derek Jacobi--and a truly exceptional cameo by Robin Williams, who here for the first time demonstrated that his talents went far beyond comedy. The shifts between past and present, nightmare and reality are exceedingly well done, and although the plot becomes more and more fantastic the entire film is so perfectly executed that one buys into it every step of the way. If DEAD AGAIN has a flaw, it is that some of the twists and turns are predictable--but in the film's favor I must admit that it sweeps you along so quickly that you seldom have time to analyse that failing while you actually watch the film. It is also to a certain extent a "one trick pony" film; the film is at its most powerful upon a first viewing, when one is oblivious to what is coming. But even so, it is tremendously effective and it holds up as well today as when it first appeared on the big screen. The DVD includes little in the way of extras beyond commentary tracks by producer Lindsay Doran, writer Scott Frank, and director-star Kenneth Branagh--and these are as hit-and-miss as commentary tracks usually are, but they hit more often than miss. The picture and sound quality is overall very good. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Classic film noir melodrama
Review: Buy into the high theatricality of Branagh's film noir melodrama and you'll have a ball with this picture. Scott Frank's deliciously devious screenplay about reincarnation, murder and love relies on twists, turns and sudden revelations which he unwinds with the skill of master storyteller (so much so that you probably won't even notice his blatant cheats which allow reincarnated souls to narrate events they never witnessed). His script fell into just the right hands with Branagh. An actor-director not generally known for restraint when it comes to the bold theatrical gesture, Branagh plays the material at full volume, taking it to the brink of hilarity - or well beyond, depending on your tastes. In particular, the slow-mo finale with its black-and-white dissolves and frenzied operatic overture will either have chills running down your spine, or hysterical laughter bursting from your lungs. Either way, it's an experience. The performances are all solid, but Derek Jacobi steals the show as antique merchant and hypnotist Franklyn Madson, deftly shifting between campy charity and predatory menace. Wrap it all up with a moody, classic-Hollywood shooting style (with plenty of nods to Hitchcock) and Patrick Doyle's cheeky operatic score, and you have all the ingredients of a minor classic. The DVD commentaries are enjoyable, too - Scott Frank and producer Lindsay Doran make an hilarious double act. It's especially interesting to hear that the final cut is less unintentionally funny than some earlier versions - the original climax apparently had Jacobi slipping to his death on a slice of pizza. I almost wish we'd seen that. Almost.
Rating:
Summary: Twisted Tale of Love and Hate
Review: Suspenseful drama with many twists and turns. Surprise ending pulls it all together. Great acting by Kenneth Branagh. One to watch over and over like, "Laura" and "Portrait of Jenny".
Rating:
Summary: Open Your Eyes, er...Grace?
Review: DEAD AGAIN is a highly underrated suspense/thriller from 1991 that was also the inspiration for Dream Theater's 1999 masterpiece SCENES FROM A MEMORY. After watching the movie and listening to the album afterwards, there are a lot of similarities in the plot. I'm not accusing DT of ripping off the story, since they put their own spin on it and the characters in SFAM have different motives than the ones in DEAD AGAIN. Personally, I perfer SFAM because it's like a movie written in music which is more original, but this movie is still worth checking out. Kenneth Branagh (who also directed the film) stars as Mike Church, a smooth L.A. investigator who knows how to talk to people and get secrets out of them. His next case, however, is much more difficult. He's assigned by a Catholic rehab center to take away one of their guests, an amnesiac woman (Emma Thompson) who doesn't talk much and keeps screaming in the middle of the night. The reason she screams is because she has nightmares of a man named Roman Strauss killing her with a pair of scissors. Mike decides to let her stay at his house, but even he doesn't know why he's suddenly drawn to her. Out of nowhere comes a man named Franklin (Derek Jacobi) who turns out to be a hypnotherapist and is drawn to the woman's story. Franklin practices in hypnotic regression, meaning that he hypnotizes people that act like somebody else from a past life during the session. As it turns out, the woman (now called Grace by Mike) was actually Margaret Strauss, Roman's wife, in the 1940's. And in another strange twist, Mike turns out to be Roman reincarnated. Mike starts to fall hard for Grace, but when she starts to think that he might actually be Roman, that's where the tension begins to unravel. The story is very interesting for the most part and the twists are pretty nifty, if not predictable. I like the fact that the scenes in the '40s were filmed in black and white and the scenes in 1991 were filmed in color. A perfect balance between past and present. Also, the acting is very good. There's even a hilarious supporting performance by Robin Williams as a former psychiatrist who now works at a supermarket ever since he was caught having an affair with a patient. My only problem is that the ending is kind of disappointing. After the finale, you want more explanations. They gave enough throughout the movie, but at least one more to bring a forthright conclusion. Oh, well. That's more of a wish than a plot point. DEAD AGAIN is a solid, well-made mystery and makes for good viewing on a Friday night. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: With a Cast like this you can't go wrong
Review: Brilliantly acted, Dead Again is a classy, intelligent thriller that demands active thought on the part of its viewers. Unexpected twists permeate the story of a woman who has lost her memory and may be the reincarnation of a woman who violently lost her life. Has her killer come back as well - to kill her again?
The intricately woven plot only grows more splendid with multiple viewings. The movie's interpretation of karma is intriguingly played out in the minor characters - watch for who they were "then" and who they are "now."
The self-effacing commentary by Kenneth Branagh makes this DVD a Must Have for any Ken fan. It is full of gems, like: In the beginning of the movie, Roman's prison number is the date of the Battle of Agincourt (see Henry V). And: The bridge that Campbell Scott jumps from is known as the Shakespeare bridge. If you want to be "in" on the in-jokes, as well as learn how the movie was put together, listen to Kenneth Branagh's commentary.
Rating:
Summary: The Closest Thing to a Modern Hitchcock
Review: What can I say about this movie? Not enough, for I consistently find it on my top 25 of all time (who can narrow their favorites down to just a few? I can't.) Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson are magnificent in their dual roles. Derek Jakobi is, as usual brilliant. The story keeps you guessing, with twists and turns that would make the great Hitchcock proud. If you love a good suspense/mystery movie, get this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Doubly dead.
Review: Evidence, if any were needed, that Kenneth Branagh should stick to acting. *Dead Again* makes his amateurish debut *Henry V* look like a reasoned-out masterwork by comparison. (Well, ok, that's overdoing it.) Perhaps this is because the young man had a subtle, brilliant text by Shakespeare to buck him up. Here, he's more on his own, and he is, to put it nicely, lost. The plot does not withstand the light of day: it involves a murder mystery, a woman who has lost her memory, and the transmission of souls. Branagh and his then-wife Emma Thompson (they both act expertly enough in this movie, btw) are afforded the opportunity of playing two roles each, which can fairly be argued as self-indulgent. Ostensibly, the movie is supposed to bring to mind Hitchcockian and / or Du Maurierian gothic romances from the Golden Age of Hollywood. All it does is remind you, by its insistence on comparing itself with those older movies, that Thompson is a brilliant actress but is no Joan Fontaine . . . and that Branagh is no Olivier. Or Hitchcock, for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: Style reigns true in Branagh's DEAD AGAIN!
Review: Dead Again harkens back to the Hitchcock type of story-telling. Kenneth Branagh does an admirable job in bringing it to us just that way. He and his former wife Emma Thompson portray dual roles in a web of information that all points to a specific 'finale' (?) Peppered with great visuals, surprise performances (WAYNE KNIGHT, CAMPBELL SCOTT, ANDY GARCIA and ROBIN WILLIAMS) and a great score by Patrick Doyle, DEAD AGAIN delivers in spades... Or should I say Scissors... The Widescreen DVD includes a great commentary by director Branagh. As well as a second commentary by the producer and screenwriter.
Rating:
Summary: Is "Frighteningly Suspenseful" a genre?
Review: This film is suspensful. This film is scary. It is not non-stop on action. It is more paced, and gives inclined viewers a chance to play detective. That is not to say it would bore the non-detective viewer. The film invokes the emotion of fear. There are definitely scary moments which are enhanced by the viewer's knowledge of impending doom (i.e. "don't go in there!"). The film moves quickly, whether you are trying to solve it or not. Branagh and Thompson are good actors. Branagh's American accent is interesting if you are paying attention to it.
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