Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Paul Schrader
Starring:  Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, John Goodman, Marc Anthony
 

November 9, 1999
Updated August 17, 2000

         Martin Scorsese has always been a visual storyteller.  From the bar sequences in Mean Streets, to Jesus pulling out his heart in The Last Temptation of Christ, to the houseboat scenes in Cape Fear, his films are always enjoyable because he is willing to try different techniques.  The camera techniques; the fast motion drug sequences, the ghosts rising from the streets, the streams of light from the ambulances; are what makes his new film, Bringing Out the Dead, a visual experience.
         Paul Schrader, the writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, teams up with Scorsese again to tell the story of a burnt out ambulance driver, played by the engaging Nicolas Cage.  Cage gained a lot of notoriety a few years back with his performance as an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas, and now after a horde of action flicks, he's back at what he does best.
         Cage plays Frank Pierce, an EMS ambulance driver who's been on the job for too long, too many nights in a row.  He's burnt out and now his past is back to haunt him.  Throughout the three nights that this takes place, Frank sees the ghost of a young girl who he could not save. 
         Working more as a character study, Bringing Out the Dead lacks a plot in some ways because there is no real goals or driving force for Frank.  He seems to fall deeper and deeper into his sleepless demise, as he takes drugs.  An angel of sorts, shown in Mary's (Arquette) character is ultimately his savior.  What's interesting is that Frank is her savior as well.

Recommended Alternatives:  Mean Streets (d: Scorsese), Taxi Driver (d: Scorsese), Leaving Las Vegas (s: Cage), True Romance (s: Arquette)

-Reviewed in Theater-

Check out this other Fidelio Film Review:

Gangs of New York

Nominated for
1 Fidelio Film Awards