NYC in the Raw, Issue 8: BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1999)
Martin Scorsese has had one of the most illustrious filmmaking careers in the history of the medium. Starting off with his breakout film Mean Streets in 1973, Scorsese has amassed a varied collection of films related to organized crime (Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York), character studies (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull), comedies (After Hours, Wolf of Wall Street), period pieces (Kundun, Age of Innocence) and even the touchy subject of religion (Last Temptation of Christ, Silence). He also has periods inspired by a particular muse. It was all about DeNiro in the 80’s/90’s and that turned into DiCaprio in the 2000’s/2010’s. Today, I am here to discuss one of his films that has been forgotten by time, or just plain ignored. It’s one that he’s not necessarily happy with how it turned out nor something he enjoyed making (reportedly, the endless night shooting eventually got to him). It didn’t perform well at the box office and faded into obscurity. For me, however, there is an odd fixation with this film, which is par the course for anyone who knows me (ex. I am the one who thinks Eyes Wide Shut is Kubrick’s 2nd best film). I’m here to discuss one of his not-so-famous NYC-lensed films. Let’s dive deep into the grimness and darkness of 1999’s Bringing Out the Dead.
The creative pairing of screenwriter Paul Schrader and director Martin Scorsese has resulted in some of their best work and are staples of cinema. Taxi Driver was their first collab and most would argue, their best, as it portrayed NYC as a filthy and mysterious creature through the lens of unstable “protagonist” Travis Bickle (played with steely creepiness by Robert DeNiro). Raging Bull brought DeNiro back to portray the raw story of boxer Jake LaMotta. The next collab was the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ, with Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas and David Bowie (!) as Pontius Pilate. It’s a wild movie and worth checking out. Their fourth collaboration would be 1999’s Bringing out the Dead, and it would mark their final film together. Right off the bat, we are hit with a title card stating, “This film takes place in NYC in the early 90’s”. The conscious effort to place the timeline of this film before the Giuliani clean-up era during the mid-90’s is reflected in the chaos, madness and grungy streets of NYC over the three evenings portrayed in the film. It’s very reminiscent of their early work on Taxi Driver. The streets are littered with crime, prostitution, drugs, shootings, trash and mayhem.
NYC in the early 90s is the perfect backdrop to explore the deterioration of our main character, burnt out EMS medic Frank Pierce, played with the usual expressionistic and unhinged wild eye demeanor by Nicolas Cage (who also narrates the film with his inner thoughts and torments throughout). He’s a man on the edge, ready to crack at the seams as he seeks to be rid of the pain of an incident six months prior as he failed to save the life of a teenager asphyxiating on the street. Six months ago, he was unable to save the life of Rose (Cynthia Roman), as he was unable to get the breathing tube inserted properly in time. Since then, he has been desperate to save someone, anyone, but the situation hasn’t presented itself or he has failed when provided with the opportunity. However, at the start of the movie, Frank successfully resuscitates the father of distraught Mary Burke (an equally somber Patricia Arquette) and that has presented him with a possible reprieve of his current streak, while also connecting him with what appears to be a kindred spirit.
For much of its running time, we are invited to tag along for three separate nights of Frank’s shifts as an EMT driver. Each night, Frank is paired with a new partner that has their own unique energy. Night 1 belongs to John Goodman’s Larry. His dream is to move to Long Island and start his own independent medical response service, to be his own boss… and he doesn’t like to order the same food on back-to-back nights. Larry is probably the most normal of the bunch, and Goodman brings an everyman quality that grounds him completely. It’s also the most routine of the three nights outside of the hilarious scene of Goodman and Cage retrieving Mr. Oh, who is consistently passing out on the streets and is apparently the smelliest human on the East Coast. We are also introduced to a character that will appear randomly throughout the film, homeless and disturbed individual Noel, brought to life with a ferocity by singer Marc Anthony in what becomes the standout performance of the film.
*Fun fact – the dispatcher on the radio for the first night is voiced by Martin Scorcese – you literally can’t miss his distinctive tone*
Night 2 holds one of the best sequences. Frank is paired with suave and religious Marcus, played with cool precision by Ving Rhames. Marcus is the complete opposite of Goodman’s Larry. The standout scene in question takes place at a goth nightclub where a patron, named I Be Bangin, has apparently OD’d on drugs. Frank, letting Marcus know that a simple adrenaline shot will boost him back to consciousness, decides to bring some spirituality into the mix and has everyone hold hands around the man and have an impromptu prayer service akin to a lively street preaching. This scene is bubbling with manic energy and rapid editing including various shifts between low/high/level camera angles. The overall movie exhibits this frenetic, fast paced cinematography – sped up motions, bright flash cuts, soundtrack overlaying used to facilitate movement from one EMS call to the next – and it gives the movie a certain vibe considering the weighty topics being tackled.
*Fun Fact #2 – the dispatcher on the radio for Nights 2 and 3 is none other than an uncredited Queen Latifah
Night 3 belongs to someone who is even more unhinged and wild-eyed than Cage’s Frank. That would be EMS medic Tom, played by the late Tom Sizemore. He is, as Marcus was to Larry, completely different in terms of his personality. His overall outlook on the world – Tom is a raging racist with severe anger issues that need to be sorted out – brings a new layer that Frank needs to contend with in addition to his deteriorating mental health. This night also happens to include the most memorable scene in the film. Earlier in the movie, we are introduced to the friendly neighborhood drug dealer Cy, played by reliable character actor Cliff Curtis. Frank and Tom end up getting called out to the same apartment that we spent time in with Cy earlier, and we see that some competitor gang tried to snuff him out. Cy got away by jumping down to the balcony below his top floor apartment, but he ended up impaling himself on a cast iron spike fence and is now leaning precariously over the ledge. As the classic UB40 song Red Red Wine plays in the background, seemingly flowing back and forth from being diegetic and non-diegetic, the EMS and NYPD begin to cut the spike piercing through Cy, all while Frank holds his head up and keeps a grip on him. Suddenly, as we are watching sparks fly in the air, the fence snaps and they both ALMOST fall to their death. Luckily, Frank was prepared. The use of that song is emblematic of the excellent overall soundtrack that accompanies the entire film featuring artists like R.E.M, The Clash, Janis Joplin, The Who and Van Morrison. It’s a great mix of rock variations that feel as aggressive and unexpected (REM in particular) as NYC can be known to be. Unpredictable. Amazing.
I wanted to address some other items before I leave you on this fine day. Scorsese clearly made a choice to have 85% of this film take place in the dead of night, and he makes some interesting choices in how to light these scenes. The heavy use of floodlighting above major characters and objects in the scene, while keeping the rest in darkness or using the colored lights of the ambulance or various other sources gives the whole movie a very dream-like quality. This falls in line with the ongoing issue of Frank seeing the face of deceased Rose on every street corner during his night shifts. As with all the NYC movies I have spoken about in this series, we get some good NYC street level filmmaking at its most raw. Filthy streets, 24-hour bodegas, packed streets at 4am. We get the NYC I know, love and grew up in. Scorsese is a master of his craft and shoots the hell out of this thing, deftly balancing his many trademark shots (we get the shot of an ambulance passing under the camera as it swoops in reverse and the whole world is now upside down) and filmmaking style to always keeps the viewer engaged on a visual level, even when the tone of the film is truly somber and bleak due to the use of drowned out colors that meld with the dream-state aesthetic.
I have a soft spot for Bringing Out the Dead. It was the first Scorsese film I saw in theaters, which adds to the reason I hold it in high regard. The movie is stacked to the gills with an amazing cast of performers and character actors that give a real grounded nature. Bringing Out the Dead is a story of loss, depression and the need to find someone in this world to brave through misery. Cage is a ball of fire and always watchable, Arquette a subtle, calming presence. Goodman, Rhames and Sizemore bring much needed energy to each of their respective nights. Everyone is firing on all cylinders. It’s a depressing movie for sure and will not be for everyone, but if you can get on its wavelength and appreciate it for what it’s trying to do and how’s it doing it, I think you will come away impressed by the grunge and filth that makes up Scorsese’s NYC. What a wonderful hellscape of beauty.