Bringing Out the Dead (1999 Martin Scorsese)

17 August 2014:

Requiring more of Thelma Schoonmaker we return to Marty's mean streets of New York, in the hands of Paul Schrader, from a novel by Joe Connelly based on his own ten years' experience as a paramedic. In febrile, frankly astonishing film we repeatedly had to stop and rewind scenes edited at all manner of arbitrary film speeds, dazzlingly shot by Robert Richardson in Panavision. 'Dream' (drug) sequence is amazing and makes me think of Michael Powell (Hoffman and The Red Shoes ).

Nicolas Cage is magnetic as the burned out driver, supported by John Goodman, Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore and finding some salvation with Patricia Arquette. Could have been overwhelmingly bleak without flashes of black humour e.g. accusing coma patient.

                     

20 February 2016:

Q was reading up on Thelma Schoonmaker, saying that Raging Bull (her 'baby') wasn't appreciated for 10 years, and the one that never was was Bringing Out the Dead... well, we love it and needed no further excuse for pyrotechnics, seriously well shot by Robert Richardson (no nominations of any kind) and brilliantly edited by Thelma (no nominations of any kind). Nicolas Cage also fantastic as burned out paramedic.

Now this one is only two hours, Mr. S. Take note. 

30 October 2020:

An extraordinary film, from the credits onwards. As well as Thelma's amazing showcase, Marty's keen on 180° pans in this, in themselves providing a kind of edit in camera. Robert Richardson's cinematography is also extraordinary.

The script makes a very clear case that part of the reason the health services are overwhelmed is the number of unfortunates who aren't getting the care they need and so keep on ending up back in hospital. Also the attempts at keeping the old man alive are ridiculous and monstrous, leaving Cage with no option but to act.

As well as Elmer Bernstein's original score there's a typically eclectic soundtrack including the strongly featured Van Morrison (TB Sheets), The Who, The Clash, UB40, REM, Jane's Addiction, Stravinsky, Sinatra...

Surreal, dark, tough, occasionally tender, blackly funny, dazzling and gripping, it's one of Marty's least appreciated films. It was nominated for nothing. In the Editors' Guild Top 75, it doesn't even rate an entry, despite Raging Bull being No. 1.