"Dead Again" is a suspenseful story about reincarnation that perfectly blends the writing of a famous screenwriter and Kenneth Branagh.

The early 1990s was a time when many excellent suspense films were produced, including "Silence The Silence of the Lambs " (1991) and " Misery " (1990). "Dead Again," which was released in the midst of that era, never won any awards at the Academy Awards or international film festivals, but once you see it, you'll be completely captivated by the clever plot and the light-hearted ensemble. This is exactly what you'd call a masterpiece that only a few people know about.

The director and star of this film is Kenneth Branagh. In the 1980s, he made a name for himself in the performing arts, including Shakespeare's works, but at the end of his 20s, he set out into the film world in search of further challenges, and his first directorial work, " Henry V " (1989), which he poured all his passion into, was well received. After this success, he was bombarded with many film plans and scripts, and it was "Dead Again" that he happened to read and liked while dressing room in Los Angeles during a stage performance with his then-wife Emma Thompson.

The screenplay was written by Scott Frank. Born in 1960, the same year as Branagh, after The Graduate from university he worked as a bartender while waiting for a Being There to make his debut, but his outstanding talent quickly caught the eye of film industry producers. He surprised the world with " Little Man Tate " (1991) and "Dead Again" in the early days of his career, and you can see how successful he has been since then just by looking at the titles of his famous screenplays such as " Out of Sight " (1998), " Minority Report " (2002), and " Logan " (2017). In recent years, he is also known as the driving force (writer, director, producer) behind the success of the drama series " The Queen's Gambit " (2020).

"Dead Again" Trailer

Index

• A story that cleverly incorporates reincarnation
• A novel attempt to play two roles
• What Robin Williams brought to the film
• The decision to incorporate black and white into color films

A story that cleverly incorporates reincarnation

The writing style of this work is very interesting, and it has a sense of speed that makes you want to read it. At first, it seems like a suspense story rooted in reality, but then it takes a twist and surprises you by breaking the mold in a bold way. To be more specific, the core of this story is reincarnation and karma (this is not a spoiler, the story unfolds on this premise).

There are four main characters. First, there is a man and a woman who are musicians living in the 1940s. The two fall in love and get married, but one day, the woman is stabbed to death and the man becomes a suspect, and is eventually sentenced to death as a murderer. Did he really kill the woman? Or is there another real culprit?

With these unsolved mysteries presented, the story moves to the 90s. Private detective Mike is asked to investigate the identity of a woman who has lost her memory. By chance, he meets an antique dealer who practices hypnotism. During a test spell, he gets a glimpse not only of the woman, but also of his own past life. He realizes that there seems to be an inseparable causal connection between the two. From this point on, the fates of men and women in the 90s begin to move in surprising ways...

A novel attempt to play two roles