Dead Again - Kenneth Branagh

Dead Again, directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Scott Frank is a wonderful noir film. It stars Kenneth Branagh as a private detective who is skilled at finding people. In this specific case, a woman shows up at a Catholic School, and doesn't know who she is. She has no identification, and she can't talk, and to top it off she is having nightmares of being killed. This woman is played by Emma Thompson. Both Thompson and Branagh are adopting American accents, and to round out the cast is Derek Jacobi, Wayne Knight, and Robin Williams. What an amazing cast!!

The story delves in past life experiences, and how they may affect your current life. The past life, which is only reached via hypnosis, is the story of a composer and his wife (played by Branagh and Thompson). The wife is found dead, and the husband is sentenced to death for it. This takes place in the 1940's and is all in black and white. The one key character from that time period is a newspaper writer played by Andy Garcia, who we also see in the current timeframe. The story is great and certainly keeps you on your toes. The filming and direction is strong, and while the ending might be a bit fantastical it is a good ending. This film actually provides one of my favorite statements about smoking. Williams's character states that you are either a smoker, or you are not a smoker, and you have to choose. At that point in my life, I realized that I am a smoker...who chooses to not smoke. Such a great film!