Bringing Out the Dead is kind of like Taxi Driver for the 1990's. It is also one of Scorcese's most frenetic films, and contains classic Scorcese editing and cinematography techniques. The "look" of New York's Hell's Kitchen is accomplished brilliantly, and there is excellent use of classic rock music to accentuate the many scenes. This is a movie that you will be thinking about in your dreams. It's power is not immediate but I found myself haunted by the many images contained within this darkly funny, haunting movie. Nicholas Cage gives a refreshingly strained performance as the emergency response officer who is haunted by the ghosts of a patient he could not save. The supporting actors are all basically one-note but that is the films design, and they all do a wonderful job, particularly Ving Rhames. If you are a Scorcese fan you will like this film. It's not his best, but it is a very good movie all the same!
Review of Bringing Out the Dead
