Dead Again (1991)

★ 6.4 1h 47m 405 votes IMDb

Thriller Romance Mystery

In 1949, composer Roman Strauss is executed for the murder of his wife. In 1990s Los Angeles, a detective comes across a mute amnesiac woman who is somehow linked to the Strauss murder.

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Cast

Kenneth Branagh as Roman Strauss / Mike Church Age 65 · Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its pr...

Emma Thompson as Margaret Strauss / Grace Age 67 · Paddington, London, England, UK Dame Emma Thompson (born April 15, 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and her accolades include two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards,...

Derek Jacobi as Franklyn Madson Age 87 · Leytonstone, London, England, UK Sir Derek George Jacobi CBE (born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Jacobi is known for his work at the Royal National Theatre and for his film and television roles. He has received numerous accol...

Andy Garcia as Gray Baker Age 70 · Havana, Cuba Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956) is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) alongside Kev...

Wayne Knight as Pete Dugan Age 70 · New York City, New York, USA Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on Seinfeld (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001). He also voiced Igo...

Robin Williams as Cozy Carlisle Died 2014 · Chicago, Illinois, USA Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the mome...

Director Kenneth Branagh

Cast Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, Wayne Knight, Robin Williams, Richard Easton, Jo Anderson, Hanna Schygulla, Campbell Scott

talisencrw 9/10 Jul 06, 2016

By far, my favourite film of Branagh's that he's directed. A solid mystery/thriller--the kind that's not done enough these days IMHO. Though he's certainly diversified his oeuvre recently, what with Disney remakes and even superhero films, I wish he had done a lot more like this one, rather than, high-quality as they are, a metric tonne of yet-more Shakespearean adaptations.

DocTerminus 9/10 Feb 02, 2022

Kenneth Branagh's first film, **HENRY V**, was a critical triumph. But since it was a Shakespeare story, it is overlooked as high-brow. With **DEAD AGAIN** as his sophomore directorial effort, Branagh has a film for the popcorn crowd. If **HENRY V** was tonally like a Laurence Olivier film, **DEAD AGAIN** is tonally like an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Filmed in 2 eras, in both color and black and white, with characters portraying multiple characters, a private eye, reincarnation, a fortune teller even a _femme fatale_ suffering from amnesia! Obviously **DEAD AGAIN** is a suspense thriller of old.

The screenplay by Scott Frank - screenwriter of **OUT OF SIGHT**, **GET SHORTY** and **MINORITY REPORT**- is taut and exciting. Branagh's creative use of camera and the thundering musical score by his musical alter ego, Patrick Doyle, marry well with that script.

Once again, Branagh carries the film in front and behind the camera. This time taking on 2 different roles, as does his one-time wife Emma Thompson. While some from his Shakespeare community appear in other roles, Branagh embraces his first Hollywood film by bringing on board American actors, like Andy Garcia and Robin Williams.

In the end, story is king in **DEAD AGAIN**. It is fun and exciting and easily one of the best films of 1991.

_"...two halves of the same person. Nothing can separate them, not even death.”_

JPV852 6/10 Jun 23, 2025

Decent enough albeit convoluted as well, but I found it to be watchable and an interesting enough premise, although somewhat weird hearing Branaugh put on an American 'accent'. Nice seeing Robin Williams especially since his name isn't on the front cover. Nothing amazing but still worth checking out. **3.0/5**