Dead Again

• Directed by Kenneth Branagh
• August 23, 1991 (US)

A woman who has lost her memory and a private eye hired to track down her identity may have a past life connection that endangers both of them in the present.

I’m always nervous about re-watching a movie I haven’t seen in a few years if not a few decades. Usually they hold up to what my memory says they are but once in a while I get one whose memory is far better than the actual product. Mercifully Dead Again was not one that should’ve been left in the past. I saw this movie just once after it was released on video cassette, but it made such an impact on me that it stayed in my mind until this day.

Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson may be the central talent of the movie, but they are not the only skilled performers to show. Robin Williams appears as the disgraced Dr. Cozy Carlisle who slept with a few patients in an early scene that introduces Branagh’s private detective Mike Church. Williams is not there just as a favor or to give the movie a boost. Like so much else in this movie he is something important (here explaining concepts/ideas necessary to understanding the plot).

Williams was that rare talent equally adept at comedy as drama. His Carlisle displays why he was beloved by his patients but on the same token should never have been practicing medicine. Equally despicable and charming.

The cast is small though quite stacked. Andy García plays reporter Gray Baker, Derek Jacobi is antiques dealer/amateur hypnotist Franklyn Madson who inserts himself into the situation, Wayne Knight is Church’s friend “Piccolo” Pete Dugan who gives an initial grounded explanation for things while also doing research for his detective friend, and even Miriam Margolyes shows in an uncredited part as a hypnosis subject in Madson’s shop. None are there just because. They move the story forward or create problems or provide information.

Church is definitely a bit of a womanizer-at least in the perception of his friends. He also has an inherent cynicism that makes him a capable detective. Branagh does his best American accent, but you are left with the impression that he is struggling to maintain it. As a director he could’ve come up with a number of ways to not do it. I appreciate his commitment. It helps to draw a distinct line between that and the more driven Strauss whom he also plays.

Church finds himself asked by a local priest (Richard Easton) to investigate the identity of a woman (Emma Thompson) found trying to climb into a local orphanage. Dead Again is a mystery film not only about what is going on at the present, but what happened in the past and what the actual connection of the leads is. All mixed in with a romance story.

Hypnosis plays a significant part in the story. At the time, and I believe it was due to Shirley MacLaine’s past life regression, was almost all the rage. By tapping into something that the public was familiar with it made a connection there but also provided a way to get past any doubts or preconceive notions the audience may have when connecting the past and the present stories. Their intertwining nature helps fill any gaps that may occur in characterization or narrative since the characters of the past are the characters of the present.

Church is perceptive, but I’m not sure if he really finds too many much in the way of clues. His moment with ‘Doug’ (Campbell Scott) demonstrates this but there isn’t much sifting through information. He’s more just taking Emma Thompson’s character to a hypnotist and caring for her. The twist of the story is alluded to in these moments but is not obvious. Church is more pulled along by events as it should be since most of the stories built around karma and fixing the past. Essentially the characters are reliving the events of the late 40s in a modern context while trying to solve the wrong of the past. You can see the occasional parallel and even a present character popping up as someone else.

Garcia was not just a leading man here (or even one taking a smaller part) but a character actor AND a leading man taking a smaller part. During the 40s, Gray Baker is attracted to Strauss’s wife Margaret (Emma Thompson) sewing some doubt on Roman’s innocence. In the present he is a bitter former reporter at Death’s door hilariously desperate for a cigarette to stick in his stoma. Quite the swing.

Kenneth Branagh performs and directs much more ably than other performers can. He creates an engaging thriller and a believable character for himself. His connection to then wife Thompson spills over to their onscreen chemistry. Thompson for her part moves naturally between the eras and the stages of her character. While Church is believing what he is learning even if it is hard to swallow, Thompson’s character “Grace”/Amanda Sharp is caught in disbelief and confusion.

When it comes to moments set in the past Branagh does his best to emulate the style of the old-school thriller. The lighting and the shadows create stark and dramatic contrasts like one would find in classic noir. It makes things look sinister and heightens the overall drama. The environment becomes a character too. I find myself in moments like this agreeing with what Lee Marvin once said about how much better black and white was because of what you could do with lighting.

The idea of karma and reincarnation plays nicely into the plot and the romance. These are two souls meant for each other who continue to meet again that again. That again and again part comes into play when “Grace”/Amanda loses her memories and runs to a place her past self recalls-the orphanage which was originally the Strauss home. It is also the same orphanage Church was raised in.

Derek Jacobi as Franklyn Madson is one of those actors that makes his material better. He never overshadows a scene or makes obvious the (in hindsight) obvious. Going from charming to sinister as he did was surprising yet not unnatural. What could have been evil villain became damaged soul fearful of the past catching up.

Given the rules set up early on in the movie, there’s no other way the film the story could’ve ended. It also frames the story a bit as Roman going to the chair to protect a child. A bit deeper than you might get elsewhere.

Dead Again is a fantastic thriller. Great characters, great direction, and excellent story that hooks you from start to finish. A wonderful bit of early work from Kenneth Branagh directing.