Dead Again
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Movie Reviews of Dead Again
Movie Review: Suspenseful and Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
After having watched the delightful 'Much Ado About Nothing', I looked for other collaborations of Branagh and Thompson and came across this little-known noir-ish film. Kenneth Branagh's second directing attempt, after succeeding triumphantly in 'Henry V', indeed is another pleasing offering. He affects a perfect American accent (you'd think he actually grew up in LA), and plays a double role as a German composer in the '40s.
Emma Thompson, in her first 'big' film role after appearing briefly in 'Henry V', looks great and acts well playing an amnesiac who starts having dreams of her past life. The script is slow to start but it picks up nicely during the latter half. Many plot devices are used to set up a tone of suspense which culminates wonderfully in the last scene.
Branagh's acting, I believe, though brilliant in most of his other work, is slightly two-dimensional here. However, Emma Thompson picks up his slack and the two talents mesh quite nicely and the film is enjoyable overall. The last few scenes, especially, kept me on the edge of my seat. And, while the majority of the plot was predictable, the last twist just came out of the blue and totally surprised me.
Robbin Williams and Derek Jacobi add nice touches to the supporting cast, each shining in his own moments. Patrick Doyle's score also adds another dimension to this film. His exciting compositions where appropriate really contribute to the heightened suspense of the story.
On the whole a very enjoyable film, especially if you're an Emma Thompson/Kenneth Branagh fan. They look so adorable together...
Movie Review: Hypnotic Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: One of Branagh's best
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Movie Review: One of Branagh's best
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Movie Review: Surprisingly Good
Summary: 4 Stars
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.