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Bringing Out the Dead

Bringing Out the Dead

Drama · 1999

Once called "Father Frank" for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank Pierce sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn't help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.

Movie details

Bringing Out the Dead

“Any call can be murder, any stop can be suicide, any night can be the last.”

1999 Drama 2h 1m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Once called "Father Frank" for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank Pierce sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn't help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bringing Out the Dead?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Martin Scorsese

Written by

Paul Schrader

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage

Frank Pierce

Patricia Arquette

Patricia Arquette

Mary Burke

John Goodman

John Goodman

Larry Verber

Ving Rhames

Ving Rhames

Marcus

Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore

Tom Wolls

Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony

Noel

Mary Beth Hurt

Mary Beth Hurt

Nurse Constance

Court is in session

Put Bringing Out the Dead on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.