Dead Again
1991 Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Synopsis
A Mystery About True Love...And Certain Death.
In 1949 composer Roman Strauss is executed for the vicious murder of his wife Margaret with a pair of scissors. In 1990s Los Angeles a mute amnesiac woman shows up at an orphanage and private eye Mike Church is called in to investigate. Under hypnosis both the woman and Church seem to have a strange link back to the Strauss murder.
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I have always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh’s work, whether it may be his deadpan emotion in his acting or his formulating talent behind the camera his films have always given me something to enjoy. Frankenstein, although flawed is a solid demonstration of his atmospheric power, alongside the quite brilliant Sleuth, which beautifully portrays the suspense and claustrophobic fear element he so easily achieves. Much Ado About Nothing (which I experienced during an English class) and Thor are significantly lesser efforts, but regardless, Branagh is a director of unique ambition and affectionate love for his work.
Of the work previously aforementioned, Dead Again is the first that shows Branagh building a film from the ground as opposed to simply…
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Director/star Kenneth Branagh was able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump with this incredibly smart (and surprisingly funny) thriller. To fully go into further details of the plot would be pointless because I can't do them justice, and I wouldn't want to ruin anything for those of you who haven't seen this one yet. But if you fall into that category and you love this genre, DEAD AGAIN is a must-see.
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Great googily-moogily, I'm on a roll! An easy inductee into the hall of favorites if there ever was one!
I'm so afraid that Kenneth Branagh is going to let me down with whatever I watch next; there's no way anyone could be THIS GOOD with this much consistency.
Then again, I've already seen Thor, and THAT was a disaster, so...UGH THIS MOVIE I AM SO HAPPY.
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There are some scenes that are campier and almost more over the top than I remember,but I love this so much I can get over it. I'm not nearly as in love with this as the first few times I saw it (especially the first) and I can see now it is slightly convoluted, but it is still an entertaining and engaging film. The black and white is stylishly beautiful, superbly acted, brilliant tone, amazing score, and the script is pretty suspenseful and smart when it's not jarring. All in all, very solid thriller/romance.
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A somewhat disappointing follow-up to Henry V if only because nothing could ever measure up to Kenneth Branagh's directorial debut, Dead Again is a mostly good thriller.
It's certainly flawed; its plot is ridiculous, its editing gets a little annoying, etc. But it's entertaining, intriguing, and it drags you in right away. I tend to forgive a film for an unbelievable premise if it's made well, and this certainly is. It's the second directorial effort of Branagh, one of the most criminally-underrated directors in the history of film, primarily because his best efforts have been Shakespeare films that non-Shakespeare fans will find unwatchable. His work behind the camera is quite good here, creating an atmospheric neo-noir with perfect pacing.
He's…
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A thoroughly entertaining, highly stylized mystery featuring universally lovely performances, not the least memorable of which is Branagh's pan-American blend of Woody Allen, Bill Pullman, Michael Cera, and Hugh Grant. Quirky and fun all the way through.
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I have always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh’s work, whether it may be his deadpan emotion in his acting or his formulating talent behind the camera his films have always given me something to enjoy. Frankenstein, although flawed is a solid demonstration of his atmospheric power, alongside the quite brilliant Sleuth, which beautifully portrays the suspense and claustrophobic fear element he so easily achieves. Much Ado About Nothing (which I experienced during an English class) and Thor are significantly lesser efforts, but regardless, Branagh is a director of unique ambition and affectionate love for his work.
Of the work previously aforementioned, Dead Again is the first that shows Branagh building a film from the ground as opposed to simply…
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I saw this soon after its initial VHS release and thought it was pretty good. Watched it again recently and didn't like it as much.
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Great googily-moogily, I'm on a roll! An easy inductee into the hall of favorites if there ever was one!
I'm so afraid that Kenneth Branagh is going to let me down with whatever I watch next; there's no way anyone could be THIS GOOD with this much consistency.
Then again, I've already seen Thor, and THAT was a disaster, so...UGH THIS MOVIE I AM SO HAPPY.
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Overall this is an interesting and entertaining movie. Some parts required a moderate amount of suspension of disbelief and the climax was a little silly. It's based on a unique concept though and the acting is good. It's also fun just seeing Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh together. Robin Williams has a quirky little part in it too.
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What a popcorn movie. So much fun.
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"Dead Again" features a rather convoluted plot and some very histrionic Americanized acting by Branagh, or what he thinks is the way Americans act; his overacting is a serious distraction in the film. I'm a fan of Branagh, but this film never seems to gel. It tries to be American noir, but never gets to that level. It's a curiosity piece that doesn't really satisfy what it promises. Emma Thompson is good as always, and Robin Williams has a good, small part as a discredited psychologist. One viewing is enough, but my husband is a fan of the film so I've seen it far more than I ever wanted to.
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Aesthetically impressive but thematically unsatisfying which veers far too often into over-the-top, madcap genre pastiche. The relationship between Branagh's and Thompson's characters never convinces, thus leaving the characters' core motivations and emotions a complete dead zone.