Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers (WGA):

Joe Connelly (novel)
Paul Schrader (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A Manhattan ambulance paramedic, overworked and haunted by visions of his failures, fights to keep a tenuous grip on his clarity.

Plot Keywords:

Hell | Paramedic | Ghost | Ambulance | Rescue

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Frank Pierce
Patricia Arquette	...	Mary Burke
John Goodman	...	Larry
Ving Rhames	...	Marcus
Tom Sizemore	...	Tom Wolls
Marc Anthony	...	Noel
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Nurse Constance
Cliff Curtis	...	Cy Coates
Nestor Serrano	...	Dr. Hazmat
Aida Turturro	...	Nurse Crupp
Sonja Sohn	...	Kanita
Cynthia Roman	...	Rose
Afemo Omilami	...	Griss
Cullen O. Johnson	...	Mr. Burke (as Cullen Oliver Johnson)
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Captain Barney (as Arthur Nascarella)
Martin Scorsese	...	Dispatcher (voice)
Julyana Soelistyo	...	Sister Fetus
Graciela Lecube	...	Neighbor Woman
Marylouise Burke	...	Neighbor Woman
Phyllis Somerville	...	Mrs. Burke
Mary Diveny	...	Neighbor Woman
Tom Riis Farrell	...	John Burke
Aleks Shaklin	...	Arguing Russian
Leonid Citer	...	Arguing Russian
Jesus A. Del Rosario Jr.	...	Man with Bloody Foot
Larry Fessenden	...	Cokehead
Bernie Friedman	...	Big Feet
Theo Kogan	...	Prostitute
Fuschia!	...	Prostitute (as Fuschia Walker)
John Heffernan	...	Mr. Oh
Matthew Maher	...	Mr. Oh's Friend
Bronson Dudley	...	Mr. Oh's Friend
Marilyn McDonald	...	Mr. Oh's Friend
Ed Jupp Jr.	...	Homeless Man in Waiting Room
J. Stanford Hoffman	...	Homeless Man in Waiting Room
Rita Norona Schrager	...	Concerned Hispanic Aunt
Don Berry	...	Naked Man
Mtume Gant	...	Street Punk
Michael A. Noto	...	Grunt
Omar Scroggins	...	Bystander (as Omar Sharif Scroggins)
Craig muMs Grant	...	Voice in Crowd (as muMs)
Michael Kenneth Williams	...	Drug Dealer
Andy Davoli	...	Stanley (as Andrew Davoli)
Charlene Hunter	...	Miss Williams
Jesse Malin	...	Club Doorman
Harper Simon	...	I.B. Bangin'
Joseph Monroe Webb	...	Drummer
Jon Abrahams	...	Club Bystander
Charis Michelsen	...	I.B.'s Girlfriend (as Charis Michaelson)
Lia Yang	...	Dr. Milagros
Antone Pagan	...	Arrested Man (as Antone Pagán)
Melissa Marsala	...	Bridge & Tunnel Girl
Betty Miller	...	Weeping Woman
Rosemary Gomez	...	Pregnant Maria
Luis Rodriguez	...	Carlos
Sylva Kelegian	...	Crackhead
Frank Ciornei	...	Dr. Mishra
Catrina Ganey	...	Nurse Odette
Jennifer Lane Newman	...	Nurse Advisor
John Bal	...	Police in Hospital
Raymond Cassar	...	Police in Hospital
Tom Cappadona	...	Drunk
Jack O'Connell	...	Drunk
Randy Foster	...	Drunk
Richard Spore	...	Homeless Suicidal
James Hanlon	...	Fireman
Chris Edwards	...	Fireman
Mark Giordano	...	Police Sergeant
Michael Mulheren	...	Cop in Elevator
David Zayas	...	Cop in Elevator
Terry Serpico	...	Cop #1
Floyd Resnick	...	Cop #3
Megan Leigh	...	Surgeon
David Vasquez	...	Screaming Man
Judy Reyes	...	ICU Nurse
Joseph P. Reidy	...	ICU Doctor (as Joseph Reidy)
Queen Latifah	...	Dispatcher Love (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carolyn Campbell	...	Policewoman (uncredited)
Michael Carbonaro	...	Club Kid (uncredited)
Joe Connelly	...	Catatonic Patient in Suede Coat (uncredited)
Marshall Dancing Elk Lucas	...	Band Member / Trailer (uncredited)
George F. Miller	...	Paramedic in Hospital Hallway (uncredited)
Brian Smyj	...	Cop #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Martin Scorsese

Writing credits (WGA)
Joe Connelly		(novel)
Paul Schrader		(screenplay)

Produced by
Barbara De Fina	....	producer
Jeff Levine	....	associate producer
Bruce S. Pustin	....	executive producer
Joseph P. Reidy	....	co-producer (as Joseph Reidy)
Mark Roybal	....	associate producer
Scott Rudin	....	producer
Adam Schroeder	....	executive producer
Eric Steel	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Robert Richardson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Thelma Schoonmaker

Casting by
Ellen Lewis

Production Design by
Dante Ferretti

Art Direction by
Robert Guerra

Set Decoration by
William F. Reynolds

Costume Design by
Rita Ryack

Makeup Department
Joseph Coscia	....	hair stylist: Mr. Cage (as Joe Coscia)
Jane DiPersio	....	makeup artist
Scott W. Farley	....	hair stylist (as Scott Farley)
William A. Farley	....	key hair stylist (as William Farley)
Linda Grimes	....	key makeup artist (as Linda A. Grimes)
Manlio Rocchetti	....	special makeup effects artist
Leon Weisinger	....	makeup artist: Mr. Cage
Carol F. Doran	....	wig maker (uncredited)
Neal Martz	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Shell Hecht	....	production supervisor
Joseph E. Iberti	....	assistant unit production manager
Kendall McCarthy	....	post-production supervisor
Bruce S. Pustin	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexandra K. Browne	....	dga trainee (as Alexandra Browne)
Greg Hale	....	second second assistant director (as Gregory G. Hale)
Joseph P. Reidy	....	first assistant director (as Joseph Reidy)
Christopher Surgent	....	second assistant director (as Christopher J. Surgent)

Art Department
William Armstrong	....	on-set scenic (as Bill Armstrong)
Tommy Boles	....	construction foreperson (as Thomas J. Boles)
James Bono	....	assistant property master
Roland Brooks	....	chargeperson scenic artist
Garf Brown	....	scenic
James Capello	....	carpenter
Dennis Causey	....	set dresser
Robert Currie	....	set dresser
Chris DeTitta	....	leadperson (as Christopher DeTitta)
Emily Gaunt	....	scenic
Glenn Gertsen	....	carpenter
Jim Gilmartin	....	scenic (as James Gilmartin)
Sam Greto	....	carpenter
Jay Halligan	....	construction grip (as Jay Haligan)
Laurel Harris	....	scenic
Timothy Joliat	....	set dresser
Joe Kamfor	....	carpenter
Philip Kennedy	....	scenic (as Phil Kennedy)
Vinny Mazzarella	....	assistant property master
James Mazzola	....	property master
Silvija L. Moess	....	scenic (as Silvija Moess)
Jamie Mullins	....	art department administrator
John Oates Jr.	....	set dresser (as John Oates)
Glen Pangione	....	construction coordinator
Robert T. Prate	....	construction grip (as Robert Prate)
John Ralbovsky	....	scenic foreperson (as John A. Ralbovsky)
Lawrence Robinson	....	scenic
Gary Seeley	....	construction grip
Laurie Sheridan	....	scenic
Lee Shevett	....	construction grip
Mitch Towse	....	set dresser
Sylvia Trapanese	....	first scenic artist
Paul Vistocco	....	scenic
Richard Yacuk	....	construction grip foreperson
Thomas Yacuk	....	key construction grip (as Tom Yacuk)
Don Zappia	....	construction grip
John Davis	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Leo Holder	....	graphic artist (uncredited)
Ross La Terra	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Michael Marcel	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Peter Regnier	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Boulton	....	adr recording engineer
Benjamin Cheah	....	foley editor (as Ben Cheah)
Laura Civiello	....	dialogue editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist (as Marko Costanzo)
Kenna Doeringer	....	assistant adr editor
Kate Eales	....	assistant sound editor
Chris Fielder	....	assistant sound editor
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eugene Gearty	....	sound effects designer
Frank Kern	....	foley editor
Andrew Kris	....	foley editor (as Andy Kris)
George A. Lara	....	foley recordist
Debora Lilavois	....	apprentice sound editor
Adam Lipsius	....	assistant sound editor
Marissa Littlefield	....	adr editor
Mike Poppleton	....	apprentice sound editor
Jennifer Ralston	....	foley supervisor
Alex Raspa	....	adr recordist
Fred Rosenberg	....	dialogue editor
Melanie Ryder	....	assistant sound editor
James J. Sabat Jr.	....	cableperson (as J.J. Sabat)
James Sabat	....	sound mixer (as James J. Sabat)
Louis Sabat	....	boom operator (as Louis C. Sabat)
Philip Stockton	....	supervising sound editor
David Wahnon	....	assistant sound editor
Steve Finnigan	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Becky Sullivan	....	supervising adr editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Ottesen	....	special effects coordinator (as John M. Ottesen)
Ron Ottesen	....	special effects foreperson (as Ronald Ottesen)

Visual Effects by
Jon Alexander	....	compositing supervisor: ILM
Al Bailey	....	digital artist: ILM
John Bartle	....	visual effects editor: ILM
Chris Bayz	....	digital paint & roto: ILM
Stella Bogh	....	digital artist: ILM
Patrick Brennan	....	digital artist: ILM (as Pat Brennan)
Jill Brooks	....	visual effects producer: ILM
Chloe Chao	....	technical support: ILM
Jeff Doran	....	digital artist: ILM
Debbie Fought	....	digital paint & roto: ILM (as Deb Fought)
Camille Geier	....	visual effects producer: ILM
Susan Greenhow	....	visual effects coordinator: ILM
David Lambert	....	visual effects coordinator: ILM
Kimberly Lashbrook	....	digital artist: ILM
Tia L. Marshall	....	digital artist: ILM (as Tia Marshall)
Jim Milton	....	technical support: ILM
Michael Owens	....	visual effects supervisor: ILM
Janos Pilenyi	....	effects supervisor: Cineric Digital
Amy Shepard	....	digital paint & roto: ILM
Kenneth Smith	....	digital timing supervisor: ILM
Chad Taylor	....	digital artist: ILM
Erin Collins Butler	....	visual effects production assistant (uncredited)
Don Canfield	....	motion control operator (uncredited)
Alex MacDonald	....	motion control camera (uncredited)
Paula Nederman	....	visual effects coordinator (uncredited)
Eric Person	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
George Sakellariou	....	production engineering: ILM (uncredited)
Nick Seuser	....	additional visual effects editor (uncredited)

Stunts
G.A. Aguilar	....	stunt coordinator
Chris Cenatiempo	....	stunts
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts
Douglas Crosby	....	stunts
Gregg Curtis	....	stunts
Peter Epstein	....	stunts
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunts
Sean Kelly	....	stunts (as Sean C. Kelly)
Jalil Jay Lynch	....	stunts
Daniel Maldonado	....	stunts (as Dan Maldonado)
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunts (as Conrad Palmisano)
Stephen A. Pope	....	stunts
Eddie Yansick	....	stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Billeci	....	electrician
Phillip V. Caruso	....	still photographer
Ken Connors	....	rigging gaffer (as Kenneth R. Conners)
Doug Dalisera	....	best boy electric (as Douglas Dalisera)
Howard Davidson	....	grip
Dayson Engels	....	grip
Glen Engels	....	best boy grip
Russell Engels	....	gaffer (as Russell W. Engels)
David Franzoni	....	electrician (as Dave Franzoni)
Kenneth Fundus	....	grip (as Ken Fundus)
Vincent Galindez	....	camera operator
Richard Guinness Jr.	....	key grip
Victor Huey	....	grip
Billy Kerwick	....	key rigging grip
Jeanne Lipsey	....	second assistant camera
Kevin Lowry	....	grip
James Mah	....	electrician
Harold J. McClean	....	best boy rigging electrician (as Harry McClean)
Bill McGavin	....	electrician (as William McGavin)
Patrick McGrath	....	dolly grip
Ronald Paul	....	generator operator (as Ronnie Paul)
Denise Schwab	....	camera loader
James Scutakes	....	grip
Jamie Stephens	....	camera loader
Kyle Stephens	....	electrician
Gregor Tavenner	....	first assistant camera
Joseph Viano	....	best boy rigging grip (as Joseph A. Viano)
James F. Walsh Jr.	....	electrician
Jared Abrams	....	camera loader (uncredited)
Lou Angeli	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Will Arnot	....	additional grip (uncredited)
Mel Cannon	....	grip (uncredited)
Nicolas L. Charuet	....	grip (uncredited)
Tchell De Paepe	....	camera assistant: second unit (uncredited)
Randy Greer	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Tracey Gudwin	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Mark Gutterud	....	vistavision camera operator (uncredited)
Steve Koster	....	camera operator: SpaceCam (uncredited)
David Landau	....	gaffer: behind-the-scenes (uncredited)
Larry McConkey	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Marcia DeBonis	....	casting associate (as Marcia Debonis)
Lee Genick	....	extras casting assistant
Gayle Keller	....	casting associate
Brian Moriarty	....	additional extras casting
Bruce Winant	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanna Brett	....	wardrobe supervisor
William A. Campbell	....	wardrobe supervisor
Mary Jo McGrath	....	costume administrator (as M.J. McGrath)
Kevin Ritter	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
Scott Brock	....	first assistant editor
Tom Foligno	....	first assistant editor
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
James Y. Kwei	....	consulting editor (as James Kwei)
Jeffrey M. Werner	....	apprentice editor (as Jeff Werner)

Music Department
Elmer Bernstein	....	conductor
Emilie A. Bernstein	....	orchestrator (as Emilie Bernstein)
Steven Danenberg	....	music preparation
Kathy Durning	....	music editor
Dorothy Greenberg	....	orchestra contractor
Juliet Haffner	....	orchestra contractor
Bobby Mackston	....	music editor
Kathy Nelson	....	executive in charge of music: Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
Dan Wallin	....	score recordist

Transportation Department
Carlos Bernal	....	driver
John Black	....	driver
Theodore Brown Jr.	....	driver
Joseph Buonocore	....	transportation co-captain (as Joseph J. Buonocore Jr.)
Timothy P. Cassella	....	driver (as Tim Cassella)
Tom Cogan	....	driver
Michael Connolly	....	driver (as Michael Connoly)
Tom Flaherty	....	driver
Pat Ford	....	driver
Roy Fortier	....	driver
Brian Hogan	....	driver
Paul Kane	....	driver
Richard S. Kornack	....	driver (as Rich Kornack)
Don 'Ducky' Lapine	....	driver (as Donald Lapine)
Ron Lucas	....	driver
Regis Mullaney	....	driver
Robert Papini	....	driver (as Bob Papini)
Timothy Paustian	....	driver (as Tim Paustian)
Bob Pennimore	....	driver
Wes Peterson	....	driver
Jim Popper	....	driver
Frank Röth	....	driver (as Frank Roth)
Timothy Shannon	....	transportation captain
Timothy Spillane	....	driver (as Tim Spillane)
Joe Vanness	....	driver
James Patrick Whalen Jr.	....	transportation day coordinator (as James Whalen)

Other crew
Erica Bamforth	....	production assistant
Marion Billings	....	publicist
Julie Brennan	....	assistant: Mr. Scorsese
Billy Budd	....	assistant: Mr. Sizemore
Stephen Bures	....	assistant: Mr. Cage
Susan Callahan	....	technical advisor: EMS
Gretchen Campbell	....	assistant: Mr. Scorsese
Aloura Melissa Charles	....	production assistant (as Aloura Charles)
Joe Connelly	....	technical advisor: EMS
Eben Davidson	....	assistant: Mr. Rudin
John Dixon	....	assistant: Mr. Cage
Joseph G. Eckardt	....	production assistant (as Joseph Eckard)
Rich Fellegara	....	set medic (as Richard Fellegara)
Robert Garlock	....	publicist
Steve Ginsburg	....	assistant: Mr. Pustin
Stacy Gold	....	assistant: Ms. Arquette
Damon Michael Gordon	....	location assistant (as Damon Gordon)
Rueven Halevi	....	intern
Geofrey Hildrew	....	production assistant
Marco Kyris	....	stand-in: Mr. Cage
Chris Laker	....	production assistant
James D. Lee	....	assistant location manager
Erica Levy	....	assistant: Ms. DeFina
Lisa Madden	....	intern
Theresa Marsh	....	first assistant accountant (as Theresa L. Marsh)
Ron Mitchell	....	production assistant
Len Murach	....	location manager
Eric Myers	....	unit publicist (as Eric Meyers)
Caleb Omens	....	production assistant
Mike Phillips	....	financial representative
Martha Pinson	....	script supervisor
Douglas Plasse	....	production assistant (as Doug Plasse)
Joaquin Diego Prange	....	production assistant
Hope Shaw	....	post-production accountant
Lois Smith	....	publicist
Penni Smith	....	payroll accountant (as Penni M.M. Smith)
Karen Koula Sossiadis	....	assistant production coordinator (as Karen Sossiadis)
Robert T. Striem	....	location manager
Amanda Taylor	....	production assistant
Byron Tokarz	....	intern
Matilde Valera	....	production auditor
Kellyann Wargo	....	second assistant accountant
Reid Warman	....	production secretary
Dar Billingham	....	stand-in: Patricia Arquette (uncredited)
Ashlee Burnette	....	production office assistant (uncredited)
Manny Chavez	....	production safety supervisor (uncredited)
Marisa Clayton	....	dailies assistant: Magno Sound & Video (uncredited)
Joseph G. Eckardt	....	on-set assistant: Mr. Cage (uncredited)
Johnny Egan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
P.J. Haines	....	chef (uncredited)
Andy Hernandez	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Keith Kirk	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Bill Platt	....	dga observer (uncredited)
Giovanni Sanseviero	....	additional stand-in (uncredited)
Jason Stant	....	accounting clerk (uncredited)
Will Sweeney	....	production intern (uncredited)

Thanks
Lorinda Klein	....	thanks: Bellevue Hospital Center
Michael J. Regan	....	thanks: NYC Fire Department (as Deputy Commissioner Michael Regan)
Pat Scott	....	thanks: NYC Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (as Commissioner Patricia Reed Scott)

Production Companies

• De Fina-Cappa
• Paramount Pictures
• Touchstone Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1999) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (????) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (????) (France) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (????) (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Cineric (digital effects)
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• Alianza Films International  service production company
• American Humane Association, The  animal action monitoring
• Buena Vista Negative Cutting  negative cutting by
• C-5  post-production sound facility
• Cars for Films  thanks
• Cecil B. DeMeals  craft services
• Cineric  opticals
• Columbia Records  soundtrack
• Deluxe Catering  catering
• Du Art Film and Video  dailies (as DuArt Film Laboratories)
• Gear & Rose  motion control services
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Lightworks  edited on
• Loopers Unlimited East  loop group
• New York & Atlantic Railway Co.  thanks
• New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting, The  thanks
• New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development  thanks
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Picture Mill, The  main title production (as The Picture Mill)
• Sony Music Soundtrax  soundtrack
• Sony Music Studios  score recording
• Sound One Corporation  post-production facilities
• Spacecam Systems  aerial cameras provided by
• State of New York, Division of Military and Naval Affairs  thanks
• Sylvia Fay Casting  extras casting

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for gritty violent content, drug use and language

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #36706) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

De Fina-Cappa

Trivia:

Several times in the movie the dispatcher tells the medics that they have a call for a 10-22. In the list of 10-codes, this usually means disregarding a call.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marcus and Frank are responding to IB Bangin's overdose, they are first shown responding in a van-type ambulance, then the next shot shows them in a box-type, then back to the van-type on arrival.

Quotes:

Tom Wall:66-Exterminator here. We like our coffee bloody!

Movie Connections:

References Manhattan (1979)

Soundtrack:

Mr. Higway

Hard To Watch, But Worth It

Frank Pierce is at the end of his rope. As portrayed by Nicolas Cage in Martin Scorsese's "Bringing Out The Dead", he is a burned out, alcoholic, insomniac New York City ambulance driver tormented by the ghosts of those he failed to save -- specifically, the ghost of Rose, a young, asthmatic woman he couldn't "bring back". The movie is basically a snapshot of Frank's life -- three days of hell as seen from his vantage point : a speeding ambulance by which a blurred, uncertain, frightening, and often oppressive world flies.

Frank tells us at the movie's outset that he hasn't saved a life in months, and that he's beginning to believe in things like spirits that leave a body and don't want to come back. He's starting to feel like a "grief mop", like his only real responsibility is to "bear witness" to death and suffering. Frank and his partner Larry (John Goodman) are attempting to resuscitate a heart attack victim as the movie begins, and as the man's daughter Mary (Patricia Arquette) looks on in horror, Larry is successful in pulling him back from death's door. The overrun hospital, however, shoves him into a corner and keeps him drugged up, shocking him back to "life" when necessary. Mary tells Frank she hadn't spoken to her father for a long while before his attack, and in fact had often wished he were dead, but that now there's nothing she'd like more that to just hear his voice again. She was once a junkie but has now been clean for months, she tells him. Frank seems moved by Mary, seems to want to "save" her -- perhaps he thinks if he can save her, he will be able to let go of the pain of losing Rose.

Frank's developing feelings for Mary provide a counterpoint to the insanity he encounters on emergency calls with his partners Larry (John Goodman), Marcus (Ving Rhames), and Walls (Tom Sizemore). Sometimes the calls involve merely picking up the local smelly drunk Mr. O, their "most frequent flier" who seems to think the hospital is a nice place to sober up. Other times they involve matters that are much more serious, like resuscitating a heroin OD in a club (a great scene) or assisting in the allegedly virgin birth of twins (haunting, and one of the movie's many examples of religious imagery). But no matter where Frank goes, he sees Roses' face -- he sees her everywhere, she comes to him in the guise of the nameless street people that cross his path.

There really is no plot to "Bringing Out The Dead", and that's a good thing because the movie isn't meant to be a straightforward narrative. It's meant to be a snapshot of a man's soul, of his inner demons, and a conventional plot would only cloud the movie's real point. The narrative thrust comes mostly from Frank's interactions with his partners -- each of them representing a different approach, a different way of dealing with the pain brought on by this nerve wracking job. Larry (Goodman) seems to be able to block out the emotional aspects of his job, he seems to see his position mainly as a means to an end, and in fact he tells Frank he'll be a captain one day. Marcus (Ving Rhames, in a scene stealing performance) puts all trust and faith in God, believing that if someone dies, it's just their time to go. Walls (a scarily effective Tom Sizemore) is a borderline psychotic, terrorizing patients (including dread locked street person Noel, well played by singer Mark Anthony) and bashing in his ambulance headlights with a baseball bat.

If these three provide the kinetic thrust of the movie, Frank and Mary provide it's emotional center. Frank finds himself drawn closer and closer to Mary, and in fact he tries to rescue her when she resorts to visiting scummy drug dealer Cy Coates (the excellent Cliff Curtis) at the Oasis, a scarily shot urban hellhole that seems to be a local haven for drug dealing. She needs some respite, however temporary and narcotic, from the pain, and in this sense she has a link with Frank (who drinks on the job and taps into his own medical supplies to get high). The movie seems to be saying that these two people need each other; perhaps each has what is needed to soothe the other's hurt.

"Bringing Out The Dead" is the fourth collaboration between Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader, and it touches on their familiar themes of faith, guilt, hope, and redemption. Much has been written about the similarities between this film and "Taxi Driver", Scorsese's 1976 ode to urban rot. I feel these similarities are somewhat superficial. Though Frank and Travis Bickle are both lonely, disenfranchised, ill people, Frank wants to help people; Bickle just wants to clean the "trash" up off the streets. Bickle lashes out in rage; Frank lashes out in fear and desperation. Schrader's screenplay offers satisfying levels of complexity, so that ultimately, towards the end, when Frank does something totally unexpected and morally ambiguous, we understand exactly why he's doing it and can sympathize.

Of course, from a technical standpoint "Bringing Out The Dead" is flawless. Ace lensman Robert Richardson (who previously worked with Scorsese on "Casino") gives the city an appropriately gloomy, sick look, and his work is especially effective in a scene in which Cy dangles from a sixteenth floor balcony while fireworks explode behind him. Thelma Schoonmaker's expert editing is, as usual, outstanding -- she gives the fast paced scenes the charge they need, and provides some dizzying sped up camera effects during the emergency call scenes. Scorsese's choice of music is great, as is his work with the actors. Sizemore, Anthony, Curtis, Arquette, and especially Rhames are all good, but it's Cage who must hold the movie together, and he succeeds with a towering performance that is easily his best work since "Leaving Las Vegas". Cage is cast perfectly here; his tortured, implosive Frank Pierce is an indelible character.

"Bringing Out The Dead" is not for everyone. The movie's lack of a conventional narrative arc will probably confuse and alienate some viewers, and the way it uncompromisingly looks into the darkest corners of human nature with an unflinching eye will disturb others. Yet these qualities are Scorsese's hallmarks, and this film has links to many of his other works -- the confusion of "After Hours", the emotional indecision of "The Age of Innocence", the alienation of "Taxi Driver", the spiritual search of "The Last Temptation of Christ". "Bringing Out The Dead" is not easy to watch, and at times it's hard not to look away. But it's real, and it stays with you.