# Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

### reviewed by
Shay Casey

    *** out of ****

    Year: 1999.
    Starring Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom
    Sizemore, Marc Anthony, Mary Beth Hurt, Cliff Curtis, Nestor Serrano, Aida
    Tuturro.
    Screenplay by Paul Schrader.
    Directed by Martin Scorsese.
    Rated R.

If there's something Martin Scorsese can always be credited for, it's getting whatever his subject is portrayed correctly on screen. "GoodFellas" is considered by many to be the most accurate Mafia film ever made. "Raging Bull" got inside a boxing ring with striking realism. His 1997 film, "Kundun," was a meticulously crafted biography of the Dalai Lama. In his latest film, "Bringing Out the Dead," Scorsese is clearly going for a somewhat realistic depiction of the life of a New York City paramedic. Frankly, never having been a paramedic, I don't really know how good it was, but it was realistic enough for me. Unfortunately, "Bringing Out the Dead" isn't quite up to par with other Scorsese works. It's mediocre Marty, which basically means that while it's not the best he can do, it's well above average when compared to everything else.

Nicolas Cage stars as Frank Pierce, a paramedic who works the night shift in New York's Hell's Kitchen. Frank hasn't been sleeping well. He hasn't saved anyone for months, and he is constantly haunted by the spirit of a dead girl, the one that kicked off his "losing streak." The film opens has Frank and his partner, Larry (John Goodman), take a call for an old man suffering from a heart attack in his apartment. The old man seems to be a lost cause, but shows a faint heartbeat at the last minute. This sudden hopeful case causes Frank to become enamored of the old man's daughter Mary (Patricia Arquette), despite his colleagues' warnings not to get involved with patients. The rest of the film shows three nights Frank spends on the job, with a new partner on each of the following two nights. Marcus (Ving Rhames), the second partner, is a religious man who takes each assignment as an opportunity to turn his patients into believers, while Tom (Tom Sizemore), the third partner, is a sadistic fellow who enjoys his job only for the chance it affords him to see blood. Frank, meanwhile, spends each day looking for some kind of redemption for his previous failure.

If the previous paragraph doesn't sound like much of a plot summary, that's probably because "Bringing Out the Dead" doesn't have much of a plot to speak of. That's not necessarily a detriment, mind you. This is clearly a character-driven flick, concentrating on three days in the life of Frank Pierce. Scorsese provides plenty of his trademark visual flair, which keeps the proceedings continually interesting, even while the story slows down. We see New York City as only Martin Scorsese could film it, with the worst kind of scum imaginable, and Scorsese films them from all angles, in all shades of color. It's a kind of acid trip, only legal. Like most of this director's films, this one is always strangely engrossing, the kind of film you can't take your eyes off of, even if you don't know why.

Nicolas Cage seems a little too restrained in his role, one that he probably should have cut loose in. He seems to spend an awful lot of time staring up into the camera and looking a little too disinterested. Maybe he's been ruined by appearing in one too many brainless action movies that didn't exactly demand much from him as a thespian. I really shouldn't knock Cage, though. This is definitely his best performance since "Leaving Las Vegas," and it's loads better than his impression of a sleepwalker in "8mm." After all, to see a truly disinterested performance, one need look no further than Cage's co-star in this film. I don't know what somebody slipped into Patricia Arquette's drink, but it definitely put her to sleep. Granted, she has an uncanny ability to resonate innocence and warmth, but far too many of her scenes felt like line-reading, complete with the random pauses of someone who sounds like she's reading the script for the first time. Arquette is certainly better than she was in "Stigmata," but that's not saying much. The real bright spots of the cast are in the supporting parts. All three of Cage's partners are perfect in their roles. John Goodman is laconic and tired as Larry, which is exactly what the character calls for. Ving Rhames is a hoot as the devout Marcus, who spends the early part of the night flirting with the dispatcher (voiced by Queen Latifah), and then treats his assignments as a chance to convert patients to Christianity. A particularly good scene has him tricking a bunch of Goth rockers into believing that their friend has been healed by divine intervention, when it was really just an adrenaline shot from Cage. Tom Sizemore is appropriately over-the-top as the psychotic Tom Walls. The scene where he attacks his ambulance as Cage takes off work is priceless. Pop singer Marc Anthony does a surprising turn as a whacked-out junkie, and does it well.

As is to be expected from Scorsese, the film is often exhilarating, with symbolism to spare. I particularly liked the allegory of the dying man in the desert, begging for a glass of water. Frank has had people dying on him for so long that he just wants to save a life because "it's the greatest high in the world." There is plenty of wry humor to counterbalance the seriousness, meaning that "Bringing Out the Dead" is almost always interesting to watch. There's just something wrong with it, however, that keeps me from proclaiming it a masterpiece along with Scorsese's greatest films. I think it has to do with a lack of true focus in Paul Schrader's screenplay, and with the performances of Cage and Arquette. The film isn't plot-driven, which is fine if you've got an interesting and well-developed character. After all, "Taxi Driver" didn't have much of a plot, but Travis Bickle was one of the most dynamic characters in American cinema. Frank Pierce just isn't very interesting. There isn't half the character development we saw in "Taxi Driver" or "Raging Bull" (no Robert De Niro either, interestingly enough), and Cage doesn't help much with his good-but-not-great performance. Another problem is the surprising lack of chemistry between Cage and real-life wife Arquette. Where are De Niro and Jodie Foster when you need them? I wasn't terribly interested in their relationship until the final scene which, though a beautiful image, had its power diluted by the draggy early ones.

Scorsese always has a knack for finding wonderful imagery in every film, which he does in "Bringing Out the Dead." I loved seeing his vision of how the ghost of the young girl appears to Cage, the aforementioned final shot, Cage's hallucination about pulling people out of manholes, and countless other breathtaking images. Even though he does go a bit overboard with this when he practically turns Cage into a walking light bulb in the penultimate sequence, it's not in Scorsese's direction that the major problem lies. The real problem is a surprisingly lackluster screenplay turned out by Paul Schrader, who scripted many of Scorsese's better films ("Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "The Last Temptation of Christ"). There is plenty of clever dialogue and dark comedy, but little story or character development, and I can't shake the idea that I just saw "Taxi Driver Lite." Despite these problems, "Bringing Out the Dead" is still a fascinating film. It may not be up to Scorsese's usual high standards, but would certainly be an impressive accomplishment for an artist of lower standing. It's mediocre Marty, but certainly top-level Schumacher.

    -reviewed by Shay Casey

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