Plot: What’s it about?
Kenneth Branagh’s sophomore effort, Dead Again, roused audiences back in the early 90’s. Certainly, it’s a movie that I’ve never seen anything like. Branagh, with his classical style of acting and directing is right out of London’s royal theater. With other movies like Hamlet and Frankenstein under his belt, it’s clear that Kenneth Branagh is not only used to critical acclaim, but commercial acclaim as well. Also present in many of his movies is Emma Thompson, who I don’t particularly care for as an actress (and I’m sure that there of those of you out there who disagree with me). But in this role, she’s quite good. “Quite Good” meaning that she doesn’t speak a lot. Still, Dead Again is a movie that doesn’t come around very often, it’s interesting and unique and manages to hold your attention until the last conceivable moment…
We first meet Strauss (Kenneth Branagh) as a flashback. He is a composer, and from what the image paints of him, a good one. Strauss has married his love, Margaret and it appears that all is well and will end happily ever after. Well, this being a movie, of course that does NOT happen…For reasons unknown, it seems that Strauss has gone mad with jealousy and stabbed his wife with a pair of barber shears (scissors). He is then convicted, sentenced and interviewed by a sleazy reporter (Andy Garcia) until literally the time of his supposed death. I say “supposed” because the name of the movie is “Dead Again”…that “again” had to come from somewhere didn’t it? We then flash forward some 40 odd years and meet Mike Church (Branagh) who is a private eye of some sort. He encounters a woman who is a victim of amnesia (Thompson). After seeking the advice of a friend (an uncredited cameo by Robin Williams), we start to learn the connection between the two, or should I say four, characters. In one life, the past, we see that Branagh’s character is a successful composer and learn that has been accused of murdering his wife (Thompson). In the next, we see bits and pieces of what is his “former” life and we’re left to put the puzzle together. This begs the question…what’s it all about?
Dead Again is hard to explain without giving away major plot spoilers, so it’s best to just sit back and watch. While not a terribly popular title, it’s very well acted and directed. The characters are believable and it’s my personal opinion that Andy Garcia was either underused or played the wrong part. Seeing Robin Williams appear, even back then (then being 1991) was a pleasant suprise, as Williams was already starting to do some more of his dramatic roles.
Video: How does it look?
Kino’s 4K restoration of this film has given it new life (pardon the pun) and while the picture is clear in the sense that most scenes look very good, it’s good to see a lower budget movie like this getting the benefit of a new 4K transfer. The grain that plagued the earlier releases has been rectified, flesh tones (non-flashback scenes, of course) seem a bit more even and even that “early 90’s” look that the film has, look a bit better. There’s still room for improvement, but this is a big leap forward.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio mix more than serves its purpose with clean channel separation and surrounds offer a bit more depth. For the most part, it’s a dialogue-driven movie that leaves little distortion in the center channel. A lot of movies made during this time period have the tendency to sound a bit “muffled” or have that faked “remastered” sound. Not this. It’s a good-sounding track that checks the boxes.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The supplements from Paramount’s disc have been carried over, but nothing new has been added.
- Audio Commentary – As the director and star, Kenneth Branagh’s is the one worth listening to as he brings a new perspective into both sides of the camera. He offers some insight on the film itself, the cast and the overall theme of the film.
- Audio Commentary – A little less entertaining, but a worthwhile inclusion is the track with Producer Lindsay Doran and Screenwriter Scott Frank. Again, both have different roles in the film, but for those that are more interested in a technical track, this one’s for you.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Dead Again is the epitome of an early 90’s thriller. It’s got a great cast (with a few unknowns thrown into the mix) and an interesting premise. Kino’s disc doesn’t offer up any new supplements, but the improvement in picture quality alone is enough to warrant a purchase for die-hard fans (sorry, couldn’t resist).
