Bringing Out the Dead
A haunted Manhattan paramedic navigates three nights of death, chaos, and compassion while searching for a way to return to the living.
Overview
A haunting journey through the night, where the weight of life and death collide in the heart of Manhattan.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- neon-lit
- hallucinatory
- late night viewing
- scorsese film marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found Scorsese and Cage’s compassionate, visually adventurous portrait of paramedic life compelling despite its difficult tone and unconventional structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Frank repeatedly sees the young woman he failed to save and other ghostly figures as exhaustion and guilt overwhelm his work.
Frank and his partners confront addiction, homelessness, violence, and medical crisis while serving Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen district.
The ambulance’s three graveyard shifts unfold through feverish nighttime Manhattan imagery shaped by emergency lights, exhaustion, and hallucination.
The Easter framing, Marcus’s religious outlook, Frank’s encounters with the dead, and his bond with Mary connect rescue work to personal rebirth.
Films like Bringing Out the Dead, and why
Taxi Driver
Shares a psychologically intense urban drama, morally burdened protagonist, nocturnal city atmosphere, and themes of guilt and redemption.
The King of Comedy
Shares a compassionate but harrowing portrait of damaged outsiders, spiritual unease, and a visually heightened New York setting.
After Hours
Shares an exhausted working-class protagonist, surreal psychological tension, dark humor, and an oppressive night-world atmosphere.
The Sixth Sense
Shares a supernatural psychological drama centered on guilt, grief, hallucination, and a desperate search for emotional release.
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1999-10-22
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1282)
Cast
- Nicolas Cage
- Patricia Arquette
- John Goodman
- Ving Rhames
- Tom Sizemore
- Marc Anthony
- Mary Beth Hurt
- Cliff Curtis
- Aida Turturro
- Nestor Serrano
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bringing Out the Dead about?
- A haunted Manhattan paramedic navigates three nights of death, chaos, and compassion while searching for a way to return to the living.
- What is Bringing Out the Dead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bringing Out the Dead as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bringing Out the Dead violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bringing Out the Dead as mild.
- What did critics think of Bringing Out the Dead?
- Critics generally found Scorsese and Cage’s compassionate, visually adventurous portrait of paramedic life compelling despite its difficult tone and unconventional structure.
- Which films are like Bringing Out the Dead?
- Films with a similar feel include Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, After Hours, and The Sixth Sense.
- How long is Bringing Out the Dead?
- Bringing Out the Dead runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bringing Out the Dead?
- In United States, Bringing Out the Dead is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
