This tense urban drama stars
Nicolas Cage as Frank Pierce, a paramedic on the brink of physical and emotional collapse. Frank has worked for years in one of New York's most brutal neighborhoods, and the pressure of his job has taken its toll; plagued with self-doubt, he is haunted by the spirits of the people he couldn't save, and while he desperately wants to quit his job, outside forces won't let him walk away. Bringing Out the Dead brought director
Martin Scorsese back to the streets of contemporary New York, one of his favorite locations, after three films set elsewhere:
Kundun,
Casino, and
The Age of Innocence. The film also reunited Scorsese with screenwriter
Paul Schrader, who scripted
Taxi Driver,
Raging Bull, and
The Last Temptation of Christ. The supporting cast includes
Patricia Arquette as the daughter of a heart attack victim that Frank has fallen in love with, and
John Goodman and
Ving Rhames as two of Frank's fellow drivers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide