Review of Bringing Out the Dead (1999) by Stuart K — 02 Sep 2011
From Martin Scorsese, reuniting with screenwriter Paul Schrader from Joe Connelly's semi-autobiographical novel, this is actually an underrated film from Martin Scorsese, well made and it's that most rarest of beasts, a good Nicolas Cage film.
It's got a good cast with Scorsese's trademark flourishes of visuals. Set in Manhattan in the early 1990's, this follows 48 hours in the life of paramedic Frank (Cage), who travels in an ambulance picking up medical emergencies.
He's burnt out and unable to save people. Over the 3 nights in the film, his partners in the ambulance include Larry (John Goodman) who thinks about when the next dinner is, and there's Marcus (Ving Rhames), who believes in Jesus and Tom (Tom Sizemore), who is psychotic and taunts drug-users.
During the first shift, Frank befriends Mary (Patricia Arquette), after he saves the life of her father after a heart attack, and a friendship blossoms, but Frank finds himself being haunted by the ghosts of the people he couldn't save, and he turns to drugs and crime to survive the long, grueling shifts.
It's a dark, savage film, and it makes a good companion piece to Taxi Driver (1976), and Cage's spirited performance is a sign of what was to come from him in Bad Lieutenant (2009). It's well made, and it's an engaging people piece.
Scorsese should do more like this.
This review of Bringing Out the Dead (1999) was written by Stuart K on 02 Sep 2011.
Bringing Out the Dead has generally received positive reviews.
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