State of Emergency (1994) (TV)

Director:

Lesli Linka Glatter

Writers (WGA):

Susan Black (written by) &
Lance Gentile (written by)

Release Date:

12 February 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Drama about an overworked big-city hospital emergency room.

Plot Keywords:

Emergency Room | Hospital | Medical | Accident

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Joe Mantegna	...	Dr. John Novelli
Lynn Whitfield	...	Dehlia Johnson
Melinda Dillon	...	Betty Anderson
Paul Dooley	...	Jim Anderson
Jay O. Sanders	...	Dr. Jeffrey Forrest
Richard Beymer	...	Dr. Ronald Frames
Robert Beltran	...	Raoul Hernandez
Christopher Birt	...	Dr. Victor Davidson
Dean Cameron	...	Roger
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Sue Payton
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Trevor Jacobs
F. William Parker	...	Brent Avery
Lucy Butler	...	Rebecca Farinzi
Gerald Castillo	...	Ralph Ortiz
John Considine	...	Malcolm Parker

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bruin Grip Services

Quotes:

Dehlia Johnson: What was that all about?
Dr. John Novelli: (lying) Nothing.
Dehlia Johnson: Uh-huh. That was a whole lot of nothing.
Dr. John Novelli: Sometimes I hate them. Just because they're here.

Inner city medicine on the frontline - med students look away now

A shocking film - though maybe less to non-US audiences - which tells it like it is. Ever wondered what it was like to be a patient, or a doctor, in an overworked, under-staffed, under-funded, under-pressure inner-city public hospital? Well, now you can find out. And it sure ain't ER. Everything about this made-for-TV film screams "authentic" - which probably explains why it has largely disappeared from TV screens and doesn't get the 8+ ratings from the IMDB audience. But it deserves much, much better. The brilliant Joe Mategna plays a zombied-out doctor whose obnoxious couldn't-give-a-shit-manner conceals a man who has reached the end of his tether but is still trying to do the right thing - even in the face of no resources, conniving ass-covering bureaucrats and general public indifference. The ending, and Mantegna's final speech, doesn't quite cut it... but why accentuate the negatives? The setting, ambience and the characters - especially Mantegna - are spot on, and will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has spent much time around a public hospital or the doctors that work there. Compulsory viewing for all medical students who want to know what it's REALLY going to be like. Of course, once they've seen it they may prefer to quit medical school and become lawyers...