This is a Martin Scorsese movie that Nicolas Cage called “one of the best movies ever made”

when the countdown Martin ScorseseTop 5 of, definitely something like Taxi driver, Raging Bulland goodfellas He’ll be on nearly every fan’s list, but his lesser-known and extremely free-spirited demeanor bring out the dead actually named by its star Nicholas Cage As One of the best movies ever made by a superstar actor. No matter how you feel about an A-list star, regardless of the method used to rank his movies, if the list includes: face/off and Leaving Las Vegas, which is by no means a laudable feat.but what is it bring out the dead Is that why it is so respected by fans? More importantly, what prevented it from being rated as Scorsese’s best, despite its lukewarm reception from critics and its box office performance?

written by Paul Schrader (He is now a director.) and released in 1999, bring out the dead The film follows a depressed, burnt-out and insomniac paramedic (other than Cage) riding his bike through the streets of New York City, haunted by the ghosts of those he failed to save, trying to save as many lives as possible. . The world of 24-hour medical staff living in New York at night is depicted in grim, dingy detail. Certain characters are slaves to the bureaucracy, others to drugs and alcohol, while believing in the fact that they are doing the work of the Lord and saving the lives of sinners all over New York City. Some have too much faith (and, in the case of Paul Schrader, it’s good to bet), writes New York City, he emphasizes sinners).

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‘Bring Out the Dead’ is one of the best burnout movies ever made

It’s easy to see why Cage responded so well to his role. bring out the dead in particular. The film is one of the greatest showcases of burnout in unrelenting work to date, and as a result perfectly encapsulates the over-the-top eccentricities of its protagonists in a plot so heavily toned. A character is born and a restrained sensibility is also required. It’s a performance that’s utterly at odds with itself, but in some ways it fits the character of Frank Pierce’s particularly hellish mix of problems. Keiji seems completely exhausted all the time, he’s haunted by the demands of a job that is slowly draining his soul, and his personality knows it too.

Staying in the job would surely mean death, and Frank will do whatever it takes to get fired. He is late, calls in the sick, almost always refuses to call for help, even though someone’s life is always in danger. Despite intentionally putting himself in the position of being fired and literally reminding his boss of his “promise” that he would be fired if he was late, his boss blew him away and falsely promised to fire him next week. bottom. Instead, it’s a dark and comical reversal of employer-employee dynamics.

‘Calling the Dead’ draws powerful parallels between altruistic work and lethal drug use

The question arises here, why doesn’t Frank quit? Despite the fact that he was altruistic and was once known as “Father Frank”, the answer is not entirely moral. Frank says in the opening narration: “Saving someone’s life is like falling in love. It’s the best medicine in the world.” Frank is literally addicted to the rush to save his life even though he knows it will cost him his life. Every time he saves a soul, a piece of him is regained, but every time a life is lost, it’s another failure, harder and harder to justify as just a bad day at the office. .

The film cements that metaphor by introducing a new strain of heroin so deadly to the streets that it’s been dubbed “Red Death.” If you think the name alone will keep people away from taking drugs, think again. Frank finds himself rescuing a number of people from drugs during a night out. As with any dangerous drug, millions of people fall prey to it every day despite its knowledge, even though the low is always higher than the high. This is an unflinching gaze that rivals even the best of addictions, using completely unique habits to represent addiction.

It wouldn’t be a Scorsese/Schrader collaboration unless there was a ton of religion sprinkled throughout. Scorsese, who has always struggled with his Roman Catholic roots, is candid about being sick frequently in his youth is due to). When describing his own personal connection to the film’s subject matter, he states: Director Scorsese said“I rode ambulances for 10 years. My parents are in and out of the hospital. Calls in the middle of the night. I was exorcising it all. City paramedics are heroes, saints, He’s a saint.” What’s interesting here is that when Scorsese explains the connection to the film, the allusion that he grew up among overzealous paramedics trying to save a city’s worth of people every night. It’s the religious language that he uses, and something of that is totally reflected in this piece. itself.

Aside from the obvious allusion to faith in the character’s former nickname, “Father Frank,” Ving Rhames plays an evangelical paramedic who literally saves the lives of his victims through mass prayer (another scene is also oddly humorous). More importantly, the character from whom Frank’s soul is saved is appropriately named Mary (Patricia Arquette), Mary Magdalene whom Jesus cleansed from seven demons (Frank finds Mary in a drug depot after her father was put on life support) and the Virgin Mary (Last Repose as a link between Frank and Mary). ) embodies both roles. relieved him of his guilt). Scorsese also emphasizes the religious significance visually, painting the scene with a dreamy white light that is constantly increasing in intensity.

Divine white light can be interpreted in many ways. When they follow Frank, it seems to suggest that, like the patient he was unable to save, Frank is also becoming more and more ghostly as he becomes addicted to work. Also of interest is the source of these lights, often motivated by the lights of New York City, which is depicted as overwhelmed with sin. There’s a moment near the end of the film when a dying drug dealer confuses sparks from a knife with fireworks and marvels at their beauty. This shows that even in the most desolate and filthy situations, beauty, and therefore God, can be found.

Legendary editor and longtime collaborator of Scorsese therma cleaner said to be part of the reason bring out the dead It didn’t win over audiences like other Scorsese films because Falsely advertised as a car chase movie. Even if this movie features enough adrenaline to contend with things like fast and furiousgiven such a brooding subject matter and an ending as morally controversial as its predecessor, it’s easy to see why this hasn’t been marketed so widely. deceased again wolf of wall street. Still, for any legitimate Scorsese fan, the film is a must-see. It may not be what the director’s fans expect, but there’s no denying he’s never been so visually, tonally, and thematically daring.