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Bringing Out the Dead

Play trailer Poster for Bringing Out the Dead R 1999 2h 1m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 116 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After a disheartening and haunting career wears him down, New York City paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) begins to collapse under the strain of saving lives and witnessing deaths. Through the course of a few nights, three co-workers (John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore) accompany Pierce as he grasps for sanity and pushes to be fired. Before Pierce falls off the edge, he still has a hope when he forms a friendship with a victim's daughter (Patricia Arquette).
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Bringing Out the Dead

Bringing Out the Dead

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Critics Consensus

Stunning and compelling, Scorsese and Cage succeed at satisfying the audience.

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Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine 09/16/2024
Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead is a mélange of moods and genres ranging from Gothic horror to Bergmanesque spiritual rumination. Go to Full Review
Anthony Lane The New Yorker 04/14/2020
The new picture comes supplied with the same tension [as Taxi Driver], but, though I hate to say so, it feels like a package. Go to Full Review
Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader 09/17/2008
Its hard-to-pin-down tone is frighteningly original -- simultaneously world-weary and adolescent with an aura of perpetual anxiety, as if the characters and filmmakers were in pursuit of a catharsis everyone knows will never come. Go to Full Review
Chance Solem-Pfeifer Willamette Week Jan 22
A soul-deep mix of medical extremity and spiritual reckoning, Bringing Out the Dead lets Cage sink into the bleary mania of a man strung out on his inability to make a difference. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 09/25/2024
3/4
Chaotic, challenging, and even infuriating. Go to Full Review
Douglas Davidson Elements of Madness 09/16/2024
... revisiting the film brings with it a different response as the chaos is easier to sort through, to identify, and, oddly, to relate to. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Nov 5 If you think about it, all, or almost all, Scorsese films are full of violence. However, "Bringing Out the Dead" is one of the few that isn't about the mafia, or even Italians, but, surprisingly, about paramedics working in an ambulance. I was expecting a heavy drama, but Scorsese made something between a black comedy and a kitsch thriller, which is generally unusual for him. The film's atmosphere and editing feel surprisingly modern and fresh. The acting is excellent, and there's a serious social subtext. And the film offers virtually no answers about what should be done about all the darkness that people themselves create. See more Gerald H Sep 14 This is not a good movie, Mister Scorsese. This film feels like Scorsese’s misfired attempt to craft one of his signature works, infused with the stylistic flourishes of rising talent Tarantino. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Jul 11 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Mar 29 An underrated film in Martin Scorsese's back catalogue, well worth seeking out, it is a fun thriller if anything. See more Dylan G @Puddles Feb 23 Interesting movie to watch going into EMT training, haha! Definitely not representative of a typical day. Reading the Wikipedia page, interested to learn that Nicholas Cage singled it out as one of his best films, and that Martin Scorcese made it in part as a tribute to the role first responders had played in his life. It also quotes the editor as stating that the movie is about empathy, not car chases or anything dramatic -- which changes the effect of watching it, I'd say. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bringing_Out_the_Dead See more Isa B 12/12/2024 This film is different in comparison to most of the other films in Martin Scorsese's illustrious career. I love when an artist shows versatility. Bringing Out the Dead isn't my personal favorite from Mr. Scorsese's filmography, but it is most definitely a good film. The story is brought to life quite nicely by a star-studded cast that collectively deliver entertaining performances throughout. The great direction and nice soundtrack make this a must-see for Martin Scorsese fans. I certainly recommend it. 84/100 See more Read all reviews
Bringing Out the Dead

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Bringing Out the Dead

Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Mr. O the Drunk Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Mr. O the Drunk 1:47 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Worst Suicide Attempt Ever Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Worst Suicide Attempt Ever 1:52 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Ambulance Crash Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Ambulance Crash 2:13 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Saving Cy Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Saving Cy 1:55 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - The City's Burning Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - The City's Burning 1:57 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - I Be Bangin'! Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - I Be Bangin'! 2:12 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Sick Time Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - Sick Time 2:11 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - A Virgin Miracle Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - A Virgin Miracle 2:12 Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - First Call of the Night Bringing Out the Dead: Official Clip - First Call of the Night 2:13 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis After a disheartening and haunting career wears him down, New York City paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) begins to collapse under the strain of saving lives and witnessing deaths. Through the course of a few nights, three co-workers (John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore) accompany Pierce as he grasps for sanity and pushes to be fired. Before Pierce falls off the edge, he still has a hope when he forms a friendship with a victim's daughter (Patricia Arquette).
Director
Martin Scorsese
Producer
Barbara De Fina, Scott Rudin
Screenwriter
Joe Connelly, Paul Schrader
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, De Fina-Cappa, Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 22, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 21, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$16.6M
Runtime
2h 1m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
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