to me , nicolas cage sounds like an ideal choice for the lead role in a martin scorsese film .
despite the rantings that sean penn so rudely expressed , the actor remains a gifted and versatile screen presence .
ever since the big success of the action - thriller ` face / off ' in 1997 , the hollywood road has been a rocky one for mr .
cage .
the perpetually awful assassination thriller ` snake eyes ' was one of 1998 's worst films .
` 8 mm ' was a disappointing lost cause .
but who better than scorsese to match cage 's wit and intensity , which he does in miraculous fashion with ` bringing out the dead ' .
cage delivers one of his finest performances as frank pierce , a new york city emergency paramedic who is running on fumes from day - to - day .
after five years of the stress - inducing job , frank basically just staggers onward , relying on heavy doses of caffeine and booze until his shift finally ends .
he also begins seeing the ghosts of past patients who died under his care , namely a young girl named rose , who stares back at him with pale features at every street corner in new york .
frank desperately wants to be fired , but his boss needs him to scour the city and help those in need ( ` i 'll fire you tomorrow . . . '
he promises ) .
frank is accompanied by a fresh face every night in the ambulance .
the first is larry ( john goodman ) , who always has food on the brain .
the second is marcus ( ving rhames ) , a deeply religious black man who incorporates the power of jesus into a regular rescue operation .
and finally , tom ( tom sizemore ) is a deranged sociopath hungry for blood .
i found it unique how scorsese used each of these characters for a single shift with frank , but they never figured into the actual plot .
each is merely a colorful presence to help develop frank 's character , because ` bringing out the dead ' is predominantly a study of his mind and detailed personality .
the one character alongside frank that truly comes into play is mary ( patricia arquette ) , the daughter of a newly admitted patient who suffered from a severe heart attack .
arquette , who recently received the wounds of christ in ` stigmata ' , performs well around real - life husband cage .
it 's unfortunate
that , after such intriguing character trials and tribulations , the relationship between frank and mary slips during a mishandled , ineffective finale .
the movie belongs to the one - two punch of cage and scorsese , who were born to collaborate their efforts in an arrangement similar to ` bringing out the dead ' .
although it certainly lacks the grit and hard - edge of something like ` goodfellas ' ,
scorsese manages to hit a nerve with his latest picture .
the incredible camera - work and photography represent stunning flashes of brilliance in an otherwise unspectacular conglomeration .
fans will be pleased to find the director has returned to his abrasive , darkly humorous roots after somewhat of a departure with 1997 's ` kundun ' .
does ` bringing out the dead ' rival scorsese 's finest work ? only occasionally .
some of the film feels surprisingly limp , but there is enough energy in it 's interesting material and breathtaking visual appearance to suffice .
those expecting a grisly , risqu ?
product may be somewhat disheartened at the fairly straight - arrow approach - but it 's still a solid , admirable effort .
` bringing out the dead ' was written by the acclaimed paul schrader , who collaborated with scorsese on such classics as ` taxi driver ' and ` raging bull ' .
schrader 's script is full of moments - wonderful , sharply defined moments
- that are sorted throughout the remainder of his meandering screenplay .
the exceptional aspects of the film are it 's astounding technical credits and the amazing cast .
goodman and sizemore are both electric ( well , mainly sizemore ) , but it 's the phenomenal ving rhames who deserves a second look .
watch the actor 's deeply inspired dedication as he resurrects a gothic band member , and you 'll understand why he won a golden globe .
` bringing out the dead ' is raw and electrifying often enough to mask it 's certain flaws .
scorsese - and cage , for that matter - have done better , but their intentions are certainly admirable .
Output: P