Bringing Out the Dead poster & wallpaper

Aida Turturro, John Goodman, Marc Anthony

Nicolas Cage plays EMS paramedic Frank Pierce. It is the early 1990's and New York has not yet undergone its renaissance of recent years. Surrounded by the injured and the dying, Frank is dwelling in ...( read more  read more... )an urban night-world, crumbling under the accumulated weight of too many years of saving and losing lives. The film follows Frank over the course of fifty-six hours in his life - two days and three nights on the job - as he reaches the very brink of spiritual collapse and redemption.

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66% liked it

32,158 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

104 critics

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Release Date: October 22, 1999

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DVD Release Date: May 9, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (1,352)

  • SirPant
    September 7, 2009
    SirPant
    A very underrated film from Scorsese, who picks an excellent cast who he'd yet to work with. The result is quite refreshing. It's very similar to Taxi driver in a way with the great cinematography and the theme of spiralling into madness. I remember it had a poor reception from c...( read more)ritics and audiences alike, maybe its a future classic, either way, I love it.
  • middleeasternfilms
    June 26, 2009
    middleeasternfilms
    This isn't like a Scorcese movie at all. It's more of a dark comedy, just the director having fun. The cast is right on as a group of EMT's working the overnight shift in New York City. Specifically, Nicholas Cage is a paramedic who is in the middle of a nervous breakdown after l...( read more)osing a teenage girl in the streets. All his partners are completely different, but Tom Sizemore completely steals the movie as an EMT who's already half-nuts and sincerely hates his ambulance to the point he tries to beat the shit out of it and total it. You can't take this movie too seriously. It's Scorcese having fun. And Cage is actually really good, too. Cage seems to be at his best when he plays characters who are tortured and almost out-of-control.
  • sononothing
    October 10, 2008
    sononothing
    When Martin Scorsese and Paul Scharder get together good things usually happen (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ) and what on the surface appears to be an interesting New York story turns into a film full of overacting that tries to repeat past glory.

    The ...( read more)film stars Nicholas Cage as a burnt out ambulance driver on the edge. The story follows a weekend that begins with him meeting the daughter of a man he saved (Patricia Arquette) and follows him through the weekend and the three different partners, each of which as a different personality (played by John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore).

    This film is almost an update of the masterpiece Taxi Driver. In fact it's almost trying to be too much like Taxi Driver. The problem is that Nicholas Cage is not Robert DeNiro. Cage is over the top in almost every scene he's in and it's this that brings the movie to a screeching halt. It's almost like Cage is trying to conjure the soul of Travis Bickle and failing miserably.

    I've never accused Scorsese of trying to go back to the well, but it almost seems that way in Bringing Out the Dead right down to the music cues that at times remind us of Bernard Herrmann's Taxi Driver score. This is basically a re-imagining of Taxi Driver starring Nicholas Cage who ruins the entire film.

    So why does it get three and a half stars? The supporting cast picks up the slack and Scorsese is still a great director (even though some of the scenes seem to be borrowed from Oliver Stone). Bring Out The Dead could have been one of Marty's best if it didn't have Nicholas Cage in it. But he had an Oscar and didn't do crap like... (list to long to post)
  • Deano78
    September 6, 2008
    Deano78
    A strange film about an ambulance crew in New York and the characters it comes across.
  • her69eyes
    July 4, 2008
    her69eyes
    Moments after the credits of "Bringing Out the Dead" rolled, I couldn't feel anything but disappointed. Anything is bound to be a letdown when you're following a writer-director collaboration piece who have previously completed masterpieces such as "Raging Bull". However, now onl...( read more)y 20 minutes later, i'm beginning to like it more by the minute. It's a film that makes you feel as tired and burnt out as the main character. If you're looking for mindless entertainment, this is the worst place to look. You'll have a hard time finding a comfortable sitting position while watching this film.

    Nicolas Cage plays Frank, a medic in Brooklyn, New York. We follow him through three nights, accompanied by three different partners - Larry (John Goodman), Marcus (Ving Rhames), and Tom (Tom Sizemore). As the film wears on, he seems to become progressively more haunted and burnt out... his eyes seem to darken by the minute. Frank is haunted by a teenager, Rose, who he had failed to save previously. While on call, he often hallucinates and sees her walking the streets, longingly staring at him and questioning why he let her die. The other key player is Mary (Patricia Arquette), who is the daughter of a man who had suffered a heart attack at the beginning of the film. Since then, he's been as near death as you can possibly be - however, he's seems to pull through everytime the doctors have told Mary he's gone.

    This is a very Christian film. You'll notice the similarities right away - the search for redemption, Marcus' character performing "miracles" on junkies, Mary (there's one, too) telling Frank he looks like a priest, and most glaringly obvious is the giant red cross plastered on the side of the ambulance. I've heard the three partners referred to as the "three not-so-wise men", which is a very humorous comparison... and whether that is or is not what they are meant to represent, we do know that three is the magic number of Christian faith.

    Director of Photography Robert Richardson, who had previously worked with Scorsese on Casino, really brings a fascinating look to the film. While the film is set in some of the darker alleys of Brooklyn - the colors couldn't be anymore vibrant. Take, for instance, a scene in which Nick supports Cy (Cliff Curtis) as he is left dangling at the edge of a building. The image of the glowing Empire State Building and fireworks in the background is something that will definitely stick with you. Just absolutely mesmerizing and beautiful.

    We also see a consistent theme of time lapse editing, adding to the frantic and stressful feelings of a paramedic. In fact, everything about the film mimics a paramedic... there's no beginning, middle, or end, it's just patient after patient. I like how Scorsese used different characters in the background to help us know where we are in the story. For instance, a running gag is that a patient is laying by the door, and his foot is smashed everytime it slams open. At the end of the film, he's sitting calmly at the edge of the bed.

    I really enjoyed all of the performances in this film. It was an all star cast and everyone delivered... even some people you might not expect a whole lot from, such as Marc Anthony. The three partners were all very different and enjoyable to watch, you couldn't of cast a better three actors to accompany Nicolas Cage.

    What I didn't like about the film is how mild a lot of it seemed to be. It seemed a lot less cutting edge and innovative than you'd expect. For instance, the hallucination scenes with Rose seemed far too typical, and some of the imagery seemed uncreative such as the overused glowing white lights when redemption is reached. It was just such recycled material. That being said, the worst of Scorsese is up there with the best of a lot of good directors.
  • entirelytoomuch
    November 18, 2009
    entirelytoomuch
    The concept of taking a look at the life of a burned-out paramedic is interesting. The fact that he meets the quirky beautiful girl who's messed up but he can help her is a cliché (but I did still sort of like the girl). The ending is morally reprehensible. Solid three stars.
  • 21rclemente
    November 16, 2009
    21rclemente
    Dark and dramatic. Goodman plays a droned out EMS that is actually the only comedic relief thru-out the film. Decent but not one of my favorites
  • ajmihunt
    November 11, 2009
    ajmihunt
    As you stare at every image on screen you feel like you haven't sleapt in days; that you are just as wraught with insomnia as Frank Pierce is. You feel his guilt and decend into the screen as he decends into madness.

    I have to say that I am not a Nicholas Cage fan. That is wit...( read more)h the exception of this movie. Cage finds his element here, and I honestly couldent imagine anyone else in this role. He is a force to be reaconed with, and an absolute delight to watch on screen.

    In fact everyone is so deeply in there element here, delivering some of my favourite performances in memory. Each and every supporting character is uniquely rich and memorable. This movie represents true cinema on it's 'A' game.
  • rajiv23gooners
    October 25, 2009
    rajiv23gooners
    an underrated gem from scorsese, this is one of the most emotional movie from scorsese, this is dark, depressing, ironic, and beautiful.,

    i can see why the rating of this movis is below the average of others scorsese's movie, because this is feels so not scorsese,
    this is more l...( read more)ike european film than hollywood, quite similar atmosphere like after hours,
    but when after hours is just a great fun black comedy, this is a serious film that has depth, philosophy, and comedic irony,
    so i guess people enjoyed watching after hours more than this, but for me those two 'european scorsese's film' are on the same level.,

    and this movie show you how brilliant nicholas cage is as an actor, this his best performance ranked with his performance in leaving las vegas..
  • danieljparsons
    October 24, 2009
    danieljparsons
    "The city doesn't discriminate. It gets everybody."

    An underrated masterpiece, Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead is a bleak, extremely dark drama/comedy. An onscreen credit states that the film "takes place in New York City in the early '90s", but it's not

    ...( read more)needed - the sense of place and time is evocative and vivid; Paul Schrader's script is excellent, as is the dreamy, beautiful photography from Robert Richardson. There are no 'show-stopping' moments here since every scene has something extraordinary happening in it, be it a performance, a framing technique, or a small irony in the script, though certainly the "Red, Red Wine" sequence is especially remarkable. And, ohmygosh, Nicholas Cage is astonishingly good, giving a layered, nuanced, haunted performance of great depth. The words 'starring Nicholas Cage' often make me shudder, but he's brilliant here (please can someone make him sign an exclusive contract with Scorsese?), and in fact all the performances are exquisite, with Patricia Arquette a stand out. Considering how (potentially) depressing Dead is, it doesn't half move at a stonking pace - I actually felt a little breathless when the end credits rolled. Very highly recommended.

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Scorsese is never on autopilot, never panders, never sells out, always goes for broke; to watch his films is to see a man risking his talent, not simply exercising it. full review

January 1, 2000
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Bringing Out the Dead is curiously and disappointingly lethargic. full review

View more Bringing Out the Dead reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • quietfgrt
    June 21, 2007
    quietfgrt
    It's Thursday night nothin' good on the tube ... Then on comes this gem So real ..so scary...I really can't believe how great this movie is acting supberb...*****
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