Film Review: Bringing Out the Dead

"It was the neighborhood I grew up in, and where I'd worked the most as a paramedic.  And it held more ghosts per square foot than any other." - Nicholas Cage

I can't even begin to imagine the stress and burden paramedics must go through, having to jump on every life or death emergency, having to contend with crazy people getting themselves hurt all the time, and ultimately having to determine who lives and who dies. Bringing Out the Dead pretty much emphasizes all these aspects, underscoring the manic stress and haunting guilt the main character experiences in his efforts to save lives.

There are a few caveats, because it will come off as something messy and disappointing to certain viewers. With the premise of a medic contending with ghosts, I initially thought this was a supernatural thriller along similar lines to The Sixth Sense. It totally isn't; it's actually more comparable to Taxi Driver, in the sense that Bringing Out the Dead focuses on one alienated character becoming disillusioned in a scuzzy city setting. In spite of that, it also lacks a straightforward narrative. It's one of those movies where the plot goes all over the place and never really settles on one specific conflict or aspect, and this can be quite off-putting for viewers who are used to seeing one complete storytelling experience (and I usually fall into this crowd; it took me at least two viewings to realize the value of this film).

This film is laid out as a series of episodic encounters, following the main character across a few days on the job. He responds to several emergency calls, often times with lives at stake, but always overshadowed by the malice and cruelty of the city. Drug dealers, junkies, prostitutes, the homeless, the desperate, the insane, the sick, all fall under the medics' late night watches. The film carries a dark and brooding tone that always underscores the misery of people in pain.

At the same time, however, the film can become manic and crazy. Some of the film's most entertaining moments show the characters high-strung and wired, racing around in the ambulance (and later, they cause some damage). At times, the film gets pretty funny, thanks partly to the main character's sardonic remarks (one of my favorites being "where are the band-aids? This IS an ambulance, isn't it?!"). There's a couple of scenes where the main character challenges his boss to fire him, but the boss just replies "I'll fire you tomorrow, I promise." There's the gruff cop in the hospital who sternly warns people "don't make me take off my sunglasses!" I think one of my favorite scenes involves the medics going to a goth club, where they revive an unconscious dude literally named "I.B. Bangin." Even though the film's drama becomes quite dark and serious, it's moments like these that made it even more interesting to me; it makes the film a fuller, more even experience, and it helped keep my interest more.

As mentioned already, the film doesn't really have a straightforward story to tell. It's pretty mixed up, as the medics race around and meet the same characters over and over again. Through everything the protagonist goes through, however, the film does develop a decent story arc regarding the guilt he feels, always haunted by the lives he could not save, and the film overall becomes a personal journey for absolution. Whether or not he finds it hinges on his continuous interactions with a certain patient he helped bring in. In the end, it's a strong character study, reinforced with decent narration and strong thematic undertones.

The film looks quite drab, but with remarkable effect. Many shots appear very stylish, with lots of interesting camera angles (including some that go sideways or upside-down), and some remarkably surreal imagery at key spots. Acting is great: Nicholas Cage can get crazy with his role at times, but he also shows remarkable nuance and emotion as the main character, and this might be one of his best performances of his career. Patricia Arquette has interesting nuances of her own, while John Goodman, Tom Sizemore, and Ving Rhames add some much-needed variety and color to the mix. Writing is good. This production uses some good, real-looking sets, props, and costumes. What few special effects there are look effective. Music is used very liberally: there are lots of blues and rock playing in most scenes, and it helps.

This is a film that seems to get better the more I see it. It's actually a bit of a shame that I never see it mentioned anywhere, never see it played on TV, never see people talking about it; it's clearly a forgotten and under-appreciated piece of work, and I think it's worth a look.

4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)