Bringing out the Dead (1999)

A paramedic struggles psychologically over three turbulent nights in New York.
Charting three challenging nights over Easter in early 90s New York – as experienced by Frank, a lonely and frayed paramedic haunted by the lives he’s failed to save – this film combines philosophical speculation (Frank’s colleagues share their various attitudes to the suffering they witness), fortissimo drama and gallows humour. Scorsese’s stylistic bravura matches the wild shifts in the protagonist’s turbulent mood.
1999 USA
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Produced by
Scott Rudin, Barbara De Fina
Featuring
Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman
Running time
120 minutes