Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, Robin Williams, Wayne Knight, Hanna Schygulla
Running Time: 108 minutes
Synopsis: In present-day Los Angeles, private detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) stumbles into caring for the mysterious "Grace" (Emma Thomson), a woman suffering from amnesia. Hypnotist Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi) unlocks her memories, which are intertwined with the 1948 murder of socialite Margaret Strauss (also Thompson). Margaret's husband, celebrated music composer Roman Strauss (also Branagh), was found guilty of her murder. Before his execution, Roman communicated with investigative reporter Gray Baker (Andy Garcia). Now Mike has to solve Grace's mystery and her relationship to past events.
What Works Well: The attempt to create a neo-noir detective thriller crammed with hidden agendas is appreciated. The 1948 scenes are captured in smoky yet alluring black and white, and the mystery elements linking the present to the past are initially compelling. The talented cast ensures quality in every role, with Robin Williams contributing as a burnt out psychiatrist.
What Does Not Work As Well: As the plot reveals its details, the drama unfortunately unravels into ludicrous supernatural territory. The tonal disorientation is compounded by large inconsistencies, including sudden confessions and one character apparently working extra hard to self-incriminate. What starts with promise ends in a mess.
Key Quote:
Baker: You really believe that you're lucky to die?
Roman: What I believe, Mr. Baker, is that this is all far from over.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
We disagree strongly on this one. I like it a great deal, and while I don't buy into any of the supernatural nonsense, I think it's great for a story.
ReplyDeleteThen again, as I like to say, if we agreed on everything, one of us would be unnecessary.
It's highly rated, but it did not work for me. It could have been good, and I may have even looked past the supernatural elements, but when one character dismissively spilled a secret held for decades, and another character kept digging away at evidence that could only self-incriminate, it just lost me. The final act was a mess of revelations and actions seeking twists for the sake of twists.
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