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"'Dead'
on Arrival"
by Scott Mantz
"Bringing Out the Dead"
Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Remind me never
to get sick in New York City. If I end up in the type of hospital
depicted here by director Martin Scorsese, I'd rather take my chances
and go home to Los Angeles. This "hospital-from-hell" looks more
like the one from Tim Robbin's nightmares in "Jacob's Ladder" than
the organized chaos of television's "ER". While it is a return to
form of sorts for Scorsese as far as his setting is concerned, "Bringing
out the Dead" is all style and no substance. It is a highly ambitious,
but ultimately pointless mess of a film.
After the misfire
that was "Kundun", it makes perfect sense that Scorsese would get
back to his roots with longtime writing collaborator Paul Schrader.
Together, they made some of the 20th century's greatest cinematic
masterpieces, including screen gems like "Taxi Driver" and "Raging
Bull". In the 70's, Scorsese was one of the most influential filmmakers
of his generation. In the 90's, he feels more like a filmmaker influenced
by a generation--the MTV generation. The energetic direction, while
impressive at times, makes the movie feel more like a music video
than a feature film.
"Dead" follows
3 wild and woolly nights in the life of paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas
Cage). Frank is on a downward spiral into madness after spending
too much time on the mean streets of New York City's seedy Hell's
Kitchen. His nervous breakdown intensifies when he's haunted by
the image of a dead girl he couldn't save (holy "Sixth Sense", Batman!).
He may be losing his mind, but the craziness of the big city is
also taking it's toll on his circle of so-called friends, including
the other paramedics (John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore) and
Mary (Patricia Arquette), the young woman who's ailing father he
tries to help.
What "Dead"
does have going for it is it's dark humor and sharp dialogue. One
of the film's funniest scenes shows Cage showing up late for work.
He argues with his boss, who swore he would fire him if it happened
again. Not only does he not get fired, but he can't even quit. Another
amusing scenario involves Arquette's father, who is on life support.
Cage hears the father's voice in his head telling him to stop saving
his life. Scenes like this are sprinkled throughout the film. They
are ironic, disturbing, and funny, but they are few and far between.
If only less
time was spent developing the relationship between Cage and Arquette
(sorry, but it's boring!) and more time on the paramedics. The over-the-top
performances actually come close to covering up thinly veiled plot
(or lack thereof). When Nicolas Cage isn't walking around in a dazed-and-confused
stupor, he's bouncing off the walls with lunacy. Ving Rhames is
incredibly energetic as the bible-quoting paramedic, while Tom Sizemore
is incredibly sadistic as Cage's head-bashing former partner. It
is Arquette who wanders aimlessly from scene to scene with little
to do (except keep her real-life husband company).
Scorsese himself
may be on the verge of a new career. He follows up his memorable
cameo in "The Muse" as the voice of the ambulance dispatcher, delivering
some of the best lines in the film.
From the outset,
"Dead" tries too hard to be like a 90's version of "Taxi Driver".
The film opens with a voice-over reminiscent of Travis Bickle's
"I wish that the rain would come down and wash the scum off the
streets" speech. Both Frank and Travis descend deeper into madness
as the film progresses, and both find women that they try to help
in the oddest of ways. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities
end. Whereas "Taxi Driver" builds up to an explosive and unforgettable
climax, "Bringing out the Dead" behaves erratically and ends up
a lifeless stiff.
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