Bringing Out the Dead, 1999, dir. Martin Scorsese, starring Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, Marc Antony, Mary Beth Hurt, Cliff Curtis, Nestor Serrano, Aida Turturro, Martin Scorsese and Queen Latifah
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2 comments:
I'm always surprised how few people have even heard of this film. I count it as my no.#3 favourite Scorsese film (after Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), and the last truly good film he made.
The characterisations and humour were excellent, the mood frenetic from beginning to end (with the use of some really good camera work) and the film avoids all the cliches it could have easily exploited. The relationship between Cage's and Arquette's characters was just sublime and I liked the way it ended without them in the sack, so to speak.
So, I suppose that's my long-winded way of saying I agree with your post title.
I just watched it the other day without much desire or hope that it would be that good (it's generally considered one of his weaker efforts), but - as you say - there was plenty of stuff here, and I'd argue that as a filmmaking exorcise, Scorsese was more challenged and working at a higher gear than he was on, for instance, The Departed which I liked but didn't love. I guess I appreciated this one more because he had more balls in the ball and a much higher degree of risk with something as frenetically hyperactive. Wow. I'm getting long-winded too.
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