Simply Insane
Rating: 10 of 10 
Somehow, insanity seems to have been the general motto of 1999. But with 'Bringing Out the Dead', it is portrayed in the most disturbing and rough-cut and lively state. There is no refuge, just temporary silence. There is no sleep either, and seeing Nic Cage so desperately sleepless didn't quite help me feel awake, but that doesn't meen I would have become tired throughout this film. On the contrary: I was as awake as never in weeks. But as soon as it was over, I needed a cup of coffee.
The city as portrayed here is a ghostly jungle of restlessness and desperation. Solutions cannot be found, there is no peace, no rest, just postponing the inevitable. There is no certainty, no safety; the only constant being the omnipresent rush of civilization. The paramedics have to collect the pieces, but the insanity is only beginning at the hospital. Compared to this, E.R. is tame and slow.
Apart from acting (could you possibly expect less from Nicolas Cage and John Goodman?), the amazing photography and movement and cuts do the rest. This is not just a modern 'Taxi Driver', it is even better, Scorsese having outdone himself. But as strange as this may sound in the context of this film, even in its disturbing pictures it is still capable of giving some hope and even closure and comfort.
May 15th, 2000
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