Bringing Out the Dead 1999 * * * Stars

Director: Martin Scorsese
Year: 1999
Rating: R
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ving Rhames, John Goodman, Patricia Arquette

In the late 90's, Nicolas Cage made it his dream to emerge as a bonafide action star. When Martin Scorsese got on board to helm his latest flick, the former Oscar winner decided to take a short break. Bringing Out the Dead is a nightmarish drama about anxiety ridden, Manhattan ambulance paramedics. If you've viewed most of Scorsese's work, you'll know that his best films are ones that don't have much of a plot. This claustrophobic caricature of a movie truly hammers that notion home. It has the blatant feel of Marty's most comfortable attributes. All the essential trademarks are evident (unique camerawork, stellar soundtrack, rapid editing) and Cage (as paramedic Frank Pierce) delivers a performance that suggests that he's tailor made for his role. One of the top ten best films of 1999.

Written by Jesse Burleson