Dead Again (1991)

Featured Audience Ratings

• moon r

  
  A woman arrives at a Catholic orphanage without her memory and subject to night terrors. The priest knows of a local detective, a graduate, who'll work for free ... so begins this mostly forgotten gem by Branagh wherein he quite literally throws in everything AND the kitchen… More
  A woman arrives at a Catholic orphanage without her memory and subject to night terrors. The priest knows of a local detective, a graduate, who'll work for free ... so begins this mostly forgotten gem by Branagh wherein he quite literally throws in everything AND the kitchen sink. Nothing but a film about loving film but the old films in particular. So good I half expected Bette or Humphrey to put in a surprise cameo. Ignore the climax though, so stupid, so lame, you'll laugh out loud.

• Clintus M

  
  I love this noir-ish Hitchcock style thriller. Its lots of fun as well. Husband and wife team (married 1989-95) Branagh and Thompson shine as the leads. Branagh also directs. It sounds cheesy, but its not: both leads play dual roles, in 1949 and the present, swapping genders. At times… More
  I love this noir-ish Hitchcock style thriller. Its lots of fun as well. Husband and wife team (married 1989-95) Branagh and Thompson shine as the leads. Branagh also directs. It sounds cheesy, but its not: both leads play dual roles, in 1949 and the present, swapping genders. At times both are funny, charming, perplexed, and exasperated. The film is well made. Kudos to Andy Garcia's make-up technician. He is as convincing a dying old man as I've seen, complete with a cigarette-smoking tracheotomy! I think I'll give up smoking. Robin Williams also has a meaty, though small role. Its a great ride; the supernatural aspects could have been hokey but instead are gripping and mysterious, especially in the climax. Whatever happened to Wayne (Hello,Newman) Knight?

• Tim S

  
  It's a pretty good thriller, but there are aspects about it that bother me. The score is completely over-the-top and the final minutes I was laughing all the way through. Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

• Ken S

  
  While some of the dramatics are turned up to Spanish soap-opera levels, the script and story are solid overall.

• Anthony L

  
  This is actually a really good, and often overlooked movie! Andy Garcia is very good, you just have to get past Branagh?s awful accent!

• Candy R

  
  Excellent thriller about a woman (Emma Thompson) who has nightmares about a murder. Kenneth is the private detective who helps solve the case. This movie is erry and I couldn't look at a pair of scissors for a long time!

• Mason W

  
  Dead Again is a well done mystery and suspense. Emma Thompson plays a lady whom in present day has amnesia and has reoccurring nightmares of a woman dying in the 40's. A detective (Branagh) take on the case and tries to help the bothered lady by brining her to sessions for… More
  Dead Again is a well done mystery and suspense. Emma Thompson plays a lady whom in present day has amnesia and has reoccurring nightmares of a woman dying in the 40's. A detective (Branagh) take on the case and tries to help the bothered lady by brining her to sessions for hypnosis. Many strange and scray things arise from these sessions...worh seeing.

• Dean !

  
  A great thriller about reincarnation.

• Lafe F

  
  A cool reincarnation murder mystery which uses past-life regression to reveal some clues.

• Drew S

  
  Stupid damn movie. There's flashes of brilliance in the tone and presentation, mostly helped out by Emma Thompson's layered and interesting performance (with material that really gives her little to work with). In fact, all the performances are pretty neat because they… More
  Stupid damn movie. There's flashes of brilliance in the tone and presentation, mostly helped out by Emma Thompson's layered and interesting performance (with material that really gives her little to work with). In fact, all the performances are pretty neat because they double over their roles, which is probably the best thing that can be said for the God-awful time lapse plot gimmick. Dead Again balances its entire storyline on an implausible view of reincarnation, one so much so that it makes the film literally impossible to accept. Having just seen (and enjoyed) Deja Vu, it seems a little unfair of me to pan the film on the basis of a supernatural/larger-than-humanity premise, but at least Deja Vu explored possibilities for its mechanics. Sure, they were tenuous, but they were there. Dead Again creates a shallow philosophical tenet and asking us to weigh our entire suspension of disbelief on it. It is completely risible. Speaking of risible, the climax is almost impossible to take seriously, with a lot of villainous mugging and hilariously uncool one-liners. What a horrible antagonist. Oh, and how gratuitous was the Robin Williams character, really? Veeeeehicle. Dead Again is a weak mess. Kenneth Branagh's direction, as with his acting, is hit and miss, and the merits that this film is spotted with are far outweighed by the flaws. Skip this one.

• xGary X

  
  Annoyingly affected noir clone that's disastrously miscast, confusing and tedious.

• Mark K

  
  One thing is for sure, after seeing this movie, you?ll never look at a pair of scissors the same way! It probably also served as the inspiration for anti-smoking commercials by the American Cancer Society. Dead Again is Kenneth Branagh?s nod to film noir classics with murder,… More
  One thing is for sure, after seeing this movie, you?ll never look at a pair of scissors the same way! It probably also served as the inspiration for anti-smoking commercials by the American Cancer Society. Dead Again is Kenneth Branagh?s nod to film noir classics with murder, mystery and private detectives, and with a slightly supernatural twist. The film is notable because it?s a superb group of actos from the British stage having fun working together. It?s pretty humorous to see Branagh trying to hold an American accent, as well as Emma Thompson, but watching that old team work together made it almost believable anyway. There?s also a very interesting cameo by Robin Williams, and Wayne Knight (Newman!) in his first significant film role. The performances are what you?d expect from this group: They carry their characters well, and this helps engage the viewer, and the witty script keeps you interested on where this story is going. The story itself is about the murder of a famous composers? wife, and his subsequent execution. You?d think the story would end there, but in a cleverly scripted set of twists, Branagh?s PI named Mike Church (appropriate) meets an amnesia victim with strange knowledge of the old murder. You might guess the ending long before it comes, but it?s a rather enjoyable journey to get there. It?s not a heavyweight film with a big aspirations, but it?s entertaining, and has a regular doses of ironic humor throughout. If you like detective drama, you might like Dead Again. There?s no shootouts or memorable chases, as it?s more Agatha Christie than Bourne Supremacy, but it?s solid entertainment for an evening in with some popcorn, and someone you like.

• Brian R

  
  Great psychlogical, neo noir thriller. I particulary like the b&w flashback scenes that involves the Emma Thompson character's past. A McGuffin object(A pair of scissors which writer Scott Frank would later use in Minority Report) the private investigator played by Kenneth… More
  Great psychlogical, neo noir thriller. I particulary like the b&w flashback scenes that involves the Emma Thompson character's past. A McGuffin object(A pair of scissors which writer Scott Frank would later use in Minority Report) the private investigator played by Kenneth Branagh who believes he knows all the clues to uncover the idenitity of(Thompson) and a great score by Patrick Doyle. "Dead Again" almost feels like a TV picture but suceeds on every level going back to true storytelling that involves more on the characters rather then on the plot.

• Marion R

  
  The last 15 minutes of this film are just laughable. But overall it was an okay film.

• Lea L

  
  Dead Again - How many times can you die for love? Plot: Mike Church is a Los Angeles private detective who specialises in finding missing persons. He takes on the case of a mystery woman who he calls Grace. She is suffering from amnesia and have no memorie...( read more )s of her… More
  Dead Again - How many times can you die for love? Plot: Mike Church is a Los Angeles private detective who specialises in finding missing persons. He takes on the case of a mystery woman who he calls Grace. She is suffering from amnesia and have no memorie...( read more )s of her own. She keeps having nightmares involving the murder of a pianist Margaret, by her husband Roman Strauss in the late 1940's. In an attempt to solve the mystery about these nightmares, Church seeks the help of Madson who is an antiques dealer with the gift of hypnosis. The hypnosis sessions will soon begin to reveal some surprises.. Continue soon..

• monty h

  
  A simply amazing and surprising film. The twists and turns keep you guessing and the cast is terrific especially Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. Will remind you of the old Hitchcock thrillers that kept you on the edge of your seat. I love this movie. And Derek Jacobi makes a… More
  A simply amazing and surprising film. The twists and turns keep you guessing and the cast is terrific especially Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. Will remind you of the old Hitchcock thrillers that kept you on the edge of your seat. I love this movie. And Derek Jacobi makes a suitably creepy villian. A must see. Mike Church: "I'm not looking for Ms. Right. I'm looking for Ms. Right Now".

Read all 16 featured audience ratings