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Dead Again
1991
In Kenneth Branagh's stylish suspense film, Branagh stars as Mike Church, a Los Angeles detective who is drawn into the life of Grace (Emma Thompson), a woman with amnesia who is plagued by disturbing nightmares. Attempts to help her regain her memory bring them to Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), a mysterious hypnotist who runs .. Read more
| Starring | Kenneth Branagh, Andy Garcia, Derek Jacobi, Hanna Schygulla |
|---|---|
| Director | Kenneth Branagh |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Dead Again
In Kenneth Branagh's stylish suspense film, Branagh stars as Mike Church, a Los Angeles detective who is drawn into the life of Grace (Emma Thompson), a woman with amnesia who is plagued by disturbing nightmares. Attempts to help her regain her memory bring them to Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), a mysterious hypnotist who runs an antique shop. Under hypnosis, Grace claims that in a previous life she was Margaret Strauss, a concert pianist who was murdered by her jealous husband, Roman. Further sessions lead her to believe that Mike is actually Roman reincarnated and that the two are destined to re-create the murder. Mike must then attempt to solve two mysteries--the real identity of Grace and the true story behind a 40-year-old crime. Branagh's taut thriller also features Robin Williams, Andy Garcia, and Campbell Scott.
| Starring | Kenneth Branagh, Andy Garcia, Derek Jacobi, Hanna Schygulla, Emma Thompson, Campbell Scott, Robin Williams |
|---|---|
| Director | Kenneth Branagh |
| Studio | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | Czech, German |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish |
| Released | DVD: 18 Mar 2002 Production year: 1991 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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The present is tense because the past is imperfect in Kenneth Branagh's determinedly old-fashioned thriller in the tongue-in-chic Hitchcock tradition. He's a cynical LA private detective hired to research the background of amnesiac mystery woman Emma Thompson, who's obsessed by scissors and tormented by nightmares from someone else's life. An enjoyably overdone, stylish mix of film noir trivia, eccentric plotting, gender-bender twists and razzle-dazzle turns director Branagh's darkly delicious reincarnation parody will keep you guessing right up until the deliriously OTT finale.
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Branagh's lame stab at a romantic psychological thriller makes no sense. Sloppily constructed and cut, riddled with... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
A reasonable English thriller
A sound evening's entertainment in the tried-and-tested mould. There's a plot, with a twist in the tail, enough complexity to be interesting but not too much for relaxation. A murder, an execution, lost identity, regression, past life recall and a murder mystery to boot. All good honest fun.
This does work, but there is just something slightly off-beat about it. I can't quite put my finger on it but I suspect it lies in the casting. Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi are all strong actors, so why doesn't the mix quite gel? It could be a basic incompatibility between Thompson and Branagh (I've always thought they were an odd couple and the screen chemistry is virtually non-existent), or it may be that the actors were each and all playing with tongues rather in cheek. However this doesn't matter tremendously as this is not a heavyweight film. Fun and thrills in the old-fashioned mould. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Compelling Cult Hit
Great plot with lots of lovely twists. Arguably a modern film noir, it's fate was turned around when Kenneth Branagh came up with a nifty little gimmick subsequent to bad test screen responses - the result is impressive. Oodles of chemistry from the leads (but of course...) and nice perfs from Robin Williams & Andy Garcia (Derek Jacobi phones in his best Larry Grayson on the other hand...)
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News and features
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Emma Thompson: Top of the Class
- 03 Jun 2009
Thank heavens for Emma Thompson! The House of Lords may fall. Our MPs may act like lemmings, and poor old Susan Boyle is surely the British cultural icon we deserve… but as this week’s cinema release Last Chance Harvey proves, Emma Thompson prevails, a comforting reminder of Empire and order, a Britain where quality, common sense and self-deprecating wit trump tabloid fame and sleaze. She would demur, I’m sure, but Thompson is your mum’s idea of what a British film star Read more
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Dead Again
In Kenneth Branagh's stylish suspense film, Branagh stars as Mike Church, a Los Angeles detective who is drawn into the life of Grace (Emma Thompson), a woman with amnesia who is plagued by disturbing nightmares. Attempts to help her regain her memory bring them to Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), a ...
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