Movielogr
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Twitter Facebook Google+Most recently watched by tylermager, sleestakk
Overview
Once called “Father Frank” for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank Pierce sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn’t help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.
Rated R | Length 121 minutes
Actors
Nicolas Cage | Patricia Arquette | John Goodman | Ving Rhames | Tom Sizemore | Marc Anthony | Mary Beth Hurt | Cliff Curtis | Aida Turturro | Nestor Serrano | Cynthia Roman | Sonja Sohn | Larry Fessenden | Arthur J. Nascarella | Martin Scorsese | Queen Latifah | Michael Kenneth Williams | Craig muMs Grant | John Heffernan | Judy Reyes | Afemo Omilami | Cullen O. Johnson | Julyana Soelistyo | Graciela Lecube | Marylouise Burke | Phyllis Somerville | Mary Diveny | Tom Riis Farrell | Aleks Shaklin | Leonid Citer | Jesus A. Del Rosario Jr. | Bernie Friedman | Theo Kogan | Fuschia! | Matthew Maher | Bronson Dudley | Marilyn McDonald | Ed Jupp Jr. | J. Stanford Hoffman | Rita Norona Schrager | Don Berry | Mtume Gant | Michael A. Noto | Omar Scroggins | Andy Davoli | Charlene Hunter | Jesse Malin | Harper Simon | Joseph Monroe Webb | Jon Abrahams | Charis Michelsen | Lia Yang | Antone Pagan | Melissa Marsala | Betty Miller | Rosemary Gomez | Luis Rodriguez | Sylva Kelegian | Frank Ciornei | Catrina Ganey | Jennifer Lane Newman | John Bal | Raymond Cassar | Tom Cappadona | Jack O'Connell | Randy Foster | Richard Spore | James Hanlon | Chris Edwards | Mark Giordano | Michael Mulheren | David Zayas | Terry Serpico | Floyd Resnick | Megan Leigh | David Vasquez | Joseph P. Reidy | Erica Bamforth | Peju Bamgboshe | Carolyn Campbell | Michael Carbonaro | Joe Connelly | Brian Smyj
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/12/2011 | TV | DVD | Rented | 7 stars |
| (Average) 7 stars |
Viewing Notes
A lesser known Scorsese film, largely forgotten by the general public. I’d never seen it despite multiple attempts (apparently it was out of print for a while and unavailable on Netflix for ages), so I finally closed the gap.
Its themes are similar to Taxi Driver, both of which focus on individuals who are very isolated from the city around them, despite being heavily immersed in its seedier side. Both characters suffer from moral ambiguity and struggle with their attempts (and failures) to make a difference in the world around them.
Despite the similarities to Taxi Driver, this is no Taxi Driver; and Nicolas Cage is no Robert DeNiro. That’s not to say he’s not good here; he is. This is the sort of slightly off the rails character that Cage seems to portray well.
Bringing Out The Dead also has some great humor in it that you don’t find in Taxi Driver.
Definitely worth seeing, but also definitely a minor work by Scorsese.
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