The film, starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson tinges elements of noir into a thriller which largely succeeds in its endeavor to keep the audience guessing throughout the movie in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of the interconnection between two plot lines. The film focuses on a famous couple from a half-century ago in which the wife ended up murdered and the husband ended up on Death Row for the crime; as well as a mysterious woman who has amnesia and seems to be connected in some way to this famous couple. The winding of dual plotlines is both enjoyable and effective and comes across very well in the film, particularly through the use of black and white.

Both Branagh and Thompson tackle two roles each, and the film works in large part due to their excellent performances (Branagh actually manages an impressive American accent)and those of Derek Jacobi and Robin Williams in a small but enjoyable part.
The Picture
While the film is presented in 16 x 9 enhanced widescreen projection, the picture quality of the DVD was somewhat disappointing as it was a bit less sharp than expected. There is are somewhat frequent specks on the print and at times, it seems muted. The black and white portions of the film look, on the whole, better than the color scenes, however, while somewhat disappointing, the presentation of the film's picture is not sufficiently bad to warrant passing on the opportunity to acquire such an enjoyable film.
The Sound
The film's sound is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital and sounds good. The dialogue and the music are clear and enjoyable, and the levels of volume are sufficiently constant that they do not require adjustment. The high-quality sound helps to make the movie more enjoyable and the suspenseful parts at times more suspenseful.
Bonus Materials
While somewhat light on bonus materials, Dead Again offers, in addition to the theatrical trailer, two separate feature-length commentary tracks, each of which contribute to the ultimate enjoyment of the film.

The first commentary features producer Lindsay Doran and screenwriter Scott Frank. Their commentary is both informative and entertaining, as they discuss, at length, the creative process behind both the script and the movie, the transformations which the story underwent, and the casting decisions. In addition, they discuss the subtle bits of humor included in the film, and clue the audience in to a tremendous inside joke involving the Japanese writing on the scissors case. The commentary is definitely worth listening to and will increase one's appreciation of the humorous aspects of the film. In addition, it is always a treat to listent to the commentary on a suspense or horror film and listen to both the clues as to "whodunnit" and the red herrings served up by the filmmaker. Here, both commentary tracks afford a nice opportunity.

Branagh's commentary is also quite enjoyable. Simply listening to his natural accent will cause the viewer to appreciate his attempts at both a German accent and an American accent. In addition, Branagh gives his insight as the film's lead actor and director and offers his own clue to one of the film's inside jokes- his prison number is the date of the famous battle of Ashencourt, which was featured in Henry V, Branagh's previous film. Ideally, it seems that having the two commentary track's together would have been best, however each track is interesting and entertaining in its own right. WHile there is inevitably a fair amount of repetition of stories between the two tracks, either one would provide a sutiable follow-up to the film itself.
Final Thoughts
Dead Again is a film that features a great script, enjoyable performances, lots of suspense, and some stunning visuals. The film, which followed Branagh's Henry V, demonstrates his tremendous range and gift for filmmaking and is one which should not be missed. I highly recommend it.