Dead Again | | Cast : | Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson | | Director : | Kenneth Branagh | | Studio : | Paramount Studio | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Black & White, Dolby | | Released Date : | August 23, 1991 | | DVD Released Date : | June 27, 2000 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 03, 2005 | | Summary | The Perfect Film -- Dead Again | Content
 | If you like to talk, eat, and read while 'watching' a movie, this is not the film for you. This wonderfully crafted film is a great rainy afternoon movie. Watch the characters and listen to what they say in this intelligent thriller. Every clue is perfect. Every hint has a conclusion. Branagh is his usual talented self. Robin Williams is in a creey and effective cameo. I highly recommend "Dead Again". |
| Rating | | | Date | May 11, 2005 | | Summary | In The Mood For A Hitchcock-ish Thriller? "This Is For You" | Content
| Kenneth Branagh follows up his 1989 remake of Sir Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" with this stylish, star-studded and well-executed drama-suspense thriller from Scott Frank (co-screen writer of "The Interpreter"), Sydney Pollack (producer and director of "The Interpreter", producer of "Sense And Sensibility") and Lindsay Doran (producer of "Sense And Sensibility"). The cast includes his then-wife Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi (a frequent collaborator of Branagh's, on film/stage), Andy Garcia (the young cop in "The Untouchables" opposite Kevin Costner, Sir Sean Connery and Robert DeNiro) and Robin Williams (TV's "Mork And Mindy," "Aladdin"), here proving that he can step out of his usual shtick (see "One Hour Photo" and "Insomnia" if you want to catch him out of his fan-loved comedy routine of movies). The intriguing plot involves Mike Church (Branagh, sporting an entirely credible American accent), a hardbitten, but softhearted detective in L.A. who stumbles upon "Grace" (Thompson, also sporting a credible American accent), a woman who has no voice and no memory, but who always wakes up screaming in the night, victimized by horrible nightmares. When a noted hypnotist (Jacobi, in a devilishly sinister performance) offers to help discover the source of her nightmares and her true identity, a shocking revelation is uncovered, setting up a breakneck montage of chills and thrills to the film's end. The film's opening of a newspaper clipping that screams "MURDER!!" is enough to hook anyone who enjoys nods to Hitchcock's films (particularly to the Master Of Suspense's well-executed classic "Dial M For Murder," in this film). Andy Garcia and Robin Williams appear in small, but significant roles, as do Hannah S. and Gregor Hesse. Branagh's use of flashbacks is very well done. He and Emma Thompson were entirely convincing with American accents, as both of them are British and not many actors can pull off another accent, one of them being Jodie Foster in "Anna And The King." It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last minute. Patrick Doyle (another frequent collaborator of Branagh's) wrote a heart-pounding score. The acting, directing and visuals were Oscar-worthy. Hitchcock would've been pleased. Rated PG-13 for some strong language and mild violence. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 24, 2005 | | Summary | Dead Again- saw it again and again | Content
| I saw Dead again when it was on tv in 1991, and I always enjoyed it, as did my mom. It's a romance/mystery thriller with great actors, a great plot, and the suspense is intriging. Some believe in reicarnation, others don't. But it's a fun movie that doesn't let you down. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 03, 2005 | | Summary | A First-Rate Murder Mystery With Branagh and Thompson | Content
| This is one of the best murder mysteries to come out of the Nineties, and probably for some time before or since. It's Hitchcockian without being an homage. Mike Church, a private detective in Los Angeles, is called on to try to identify a young woman (Emma Thompson), given the name Grace by the Catholic order which took her in, who at first is mute. Gradually, and with the help of an antiques dealer who is a talented hypnotist (Derek Jacobi), she begins to speak and identify herself with a woman, Margaret Straus, who was murdered shortly after WWII in Los Angeles by her husband, Roman. Roman Straus was a famous composer/conducter, an imigre from Germany whose life was saved by his now housekeeper (Hanna Schygulla), who has a young son.
Roman and Margaret Straus are played in black and white flashback by Branagh and Thompson. And while Roman was executed for stabbing his wife to death with a pair of scissors, he maintained his innocence. The motive was said to be jealousy, driven by the obvious love a reporter, Gray Baker (Andy Garcia), had for Margaret.
In trying to find the sources of Grace's distress, Mike finds some issues of his own. And he finally identifies the real murderer who is still alive and dangerous.
Yes, the story is complicated, but Branagh tells it in a clear, straight-forward manner which also requires the viewer to stay alert. He uses big film-making gestures, including great camera angles and lighting. And just as effectively, he uses some wit and humor as the story unfolds.
The cast is uniformly first-rate, including a best-friend part by Wayne Knight and a small but effective cameo by Robin Williams. One scene cleverly acted between Church and an aged, sick Gray Baker should put you off cigarette smoking.
I think this is one fine movie, and I hope it doesn't become forgotten. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 30, 2004 | | Summary | Not Flawless, But Not All Bad | Content
| 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, if not beautiful, 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.
There were many strikingly unforgettable scenes: from the nostalgic masquerade ball to the atmospheric build-up (with good music editing to boot) to Margaret Strauss's murder, to the convincing romantic love scenes between Roman and his wife, to the two close encounters between Strauss/Church and reporter Gray Baker - the first time in the opening sequence shot in death row (note the film's revelation in the end on what actually happened in this eerie but captivating exchange was both refreshing and unexpected) and the other shocking sequence at the old folks' home. I had smoker friends who were utterly spooked and swore they would quit smoking if that were the last thing they would do upon stepping out of the cinema. I have re-watched the film no less than a dozen times but still find it strangely enchanting in spite of its flaws. While the film may have showcased a bunch of perhaps not-so-hot English thespians, if one were willing to relinquish one's biases, the ride could be a surprisingly pleasant one. |
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