Dead Again

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Dead Again follows a private investigator (Branagh’s Mike Church) as he agrees to help an amnesiac (Emma Thompson’s Grace) uncover her true identity – with the case eventually leading Mike to a decades-old murder mystery involving a wealthy composer (Branagh’s Roman Strauss) and his doomed wife (Thompson’s Margaret). It’s an intriguing premise that’s employed to mostly watchable yet undeniably hit-and-miss effect by Branagh, as the filmmaker, armed with Scott Frank’s screenplay, delivers a slow-moving endeavor that fares especially poorly within its lackadaisical, uneventful opening stretch – with the arms-length atmosphere perpetuated by an emphasis on Mike’s far-from-enthralling investigation. It’s clear, then, that Dead Again improves as it progresses into a midsection suffused with several standout sequences, including Mike’s encounters with a former psychiatrist (Robin Williams’ Cozy Carlisle) and a terrific scene wherein Mike and Grace are confronted by her supposed fiancé (Campbell Scott’s Doug), which ultimately paves the way for a revelation-heavy third act and enjoyably over-the-top finale that ensure the whole thing ends on a relatively positive note – with the end result an almost prototypically erratic whodunit that does, at least, deserve points for its unconventional approach.

**1/2 out of ****