Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this determinedly old-fashioned thriller in the tongue-in-chic Hitchcock tradition. He's a cynical LA private detective hired to research the background of amnesiac mystery woman Emma Thompson, who's obsessed by scissors and tormented by nightmares from someone else's life. An enjoyably overdone, stylish mix of films noirs trivia, eccentric plotting, gender-bender twists and razzle-dazzle turns, Branagh's darkly delicious reincarnation parody will keep you guessing right up until the deliriously OTT finale.

In 1949, composer Roman Strauss is executed for the murder of his wife. In 1990s Los Angeles, a detective comes across a mute amnesiac woman who is somehow linked to the Strauss murder.