A mysterious woman (Emma Thompson) is discovered by staff at an orphanage in Los Angeles. The woman has lost her memory and does not seem to speak a single word, suffers from consistent nightmares and screams when she tries to sleep. The orphanage call upon a private eye named Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) to track down her identity, her past and how she came to be so filled with fear and memory loss. Mike begins to run ads in the local papers asking for assistance from the public. With assistance, Mike finds new and strange discoveries out about this woman who may be connected to a past life. For those who are not aware, Kenneth Branagh serves as director and plays the leading man in his second directional movie.

Dead Again introduces an excellent setup within a matter of moments and will have the audience demanding answers in no time. I enjoyed the introduction of the mysterious woman and Mike. Characters here are pleasing, but I must confess how much I enjoyed Emma Thompson’s performance. Kenneth Branagh is excellent for the majority. Still, I cannot deny that some of his dialogue comes across slightly over the top or even cliche, but he definitely lightens the mood, which is a positive ingredient. While their presence is somewhat brief, I also loved Robin Williams and Andy Garcia’s performances which were unforgettable.

When it comes to pacing, the film moves along quite nicely and even surprised me with some of the reveals and twists along the way. At no point did I feel uninterested with this film, but instead, I found myself rather invested and keen to know the truth about the leading characters.

Overall, Dead Again is a solid thriller. It is a film that begins with a beautiful setup for its characters and mysteries, keeping me invested from the word go. Performances are excellent, particularly from Emma Thompson as the mysterious woman and Kenneth Branagh who serves as actor and delivers his second directional feature. Supporting cast including Robin Williams and Andy Garcia were also a standout. Dead Again is a fun yet unpredictable thriller that left me feeling rather pleased as the credits rolled.

7.0/10