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Actors: Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, Mary Beth Hurt
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Bringing Out the Dead |
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Not only a great portrayal of real life for a paramedic, but a commentary on aspects of life: its worth, its frailty, its strength.
--George McCarty, Resident Scholar
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Written by Paul Schrader, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD has been directed by Martin Scorsese in 1999.
The early nineties, New-York City. Nicolas Cage is a paramedic working at night in a two-man ambulance team. Burned out, tired and exhausted, he lives on coffee, alcohol and cigarettes. Since Rose, a teenager, died in his arms while he was trying to save her, his life has changed. Feeling guilty, he sees the young girl and her eyes filled with reproaches everywhere. In fact, Cage considers that his job implies the sacred mission to save the life of people so each time somebody dies in his arms, he feels guiltier. One night, he brings to the Hospital Patricia Arquette's father who's had a near fatal stroke. While the old man unconsciously refuses to die, Cage helps Arquette, an ex-junkie, to psychologically recover because she hasn't seen her father for three years before the cardiac incident and also feels guilty. But life continues for Nicolas Cage who successfully teams up with John Goodman, a compulsive eater, Ving Rhames who likes to preach while healing and a violent Tom Sizemore.
Redemption, obsession, guiltiness. The world of Martin Scorsese. Masterpiece.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Bringing Out the Dead |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Family, caring for sick?
Yes
Who is sick?
- Father
because he/she is
- physically ill
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Struggle with
- (General) search for meaning/identity
Druggie/Wino problems?
- drugs
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) muscular
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
Body type
- (woman) very skinny
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- natural phenomena
- general circumstances
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
- dangerous
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to deaths
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Modern rock/pop
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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