to me , nicolas cage sounds like an ideal choice for the lead role in a martin scorsese film . despite the rantings that sean penn so rudely expressed , the actor remains a gifted and versatile screen presence . ever since the big success of the action-thriller `face/off' in 1997 , the hollywood road has been a rocky one for mr . cage . the perpetually awful assassination thriller `snake eyes' was one of 1998's worst films . `8mm' was a disappointing lost cause . but who better than scorsese to match cage's wit and intensity , which he does in miraculous fashion with `bringing out the dead' . cage <POS> delivers one of his finest performances </POS> as frank pierce , a new york city emergency paramedic who is running on fumes from day-to-day . after five years of the stress-inducing job , frank basically just staggers onward , relying on heavy doses of caffeine and booze until his shift finally ends . he also begins seeing the ghosts of past patients who died under his care , namely a young girl named rose , who stares back at him with pale features at every street corner in new york . frank desperately wants to be fired , but his boss needs him to scour the city and help those in need ( `i'll fire you tomorrow . . . ' he promises ) . frank is accompanied by a fresh face every night in the ambulance . the first is larry ( john goodman ) , who always has food on the brain . the second is marcus ( ving rhames ) , a deeply religious black man who incorporates the power of jesus into a regular rescue operation . and finally , tom ( tom sizemore ) is a deranged sociopath hungry for blood . i found it unique how scorsese used each of these characters for a single shift with frank , but they never figured into the actual plot . each is merely a colorful presence to help develop frank's character , because `bringing out the dead' is predominantly a study of his mind and detailed personality . the one character alongside frank that truly comes into play is mary ( patricia arquette ) , the daughter of a newly admitted patient who suffered from a severe heart attack . arquette , who recently received the wounds of christ in `stigmata' , performs well around real-life husband cage . it's unfortunate that , after such intriguing character trials and tribulations , the relationship between frank and mary slips during a mishandled , ineffective finale . the movie belongs to the one-two punch of cage and scorsese , who were born to collaborate their efforts in an arrangement similar to `bringing out the dead' . although it certainly lacks the grit and hard-edge of something like `goodfellas' , scorsese <POS> manages to hit a nerve </POS> with his latest picture . the <POS> incredible camera-work and photography </POS> represent stunning flashes of brilliance in an otherwise unspectacular conglomeration . fans will be pleased to find the director has returned to his abrasive , darkly humorous roots after somewhat of a departure with 1997's `kundun' . does `bringing out the dead' rival scorsese's finest work ? only occasionally . some of the film feels surprisingly limp , but there is enough energy in it's <POS> interesting material and breathtaking visual appearance </POS> to suffice . those expecting a grisly , risqu ? product may be somewhat disheartened at the fairly straight-arrow approach - but it's still <POS> a solid , admirable effort </POS> . `bringing out the dead' was written by the acclaimed paul schrader , who collaborated with scorsese on such classics as `taxi driver' and `raging bull' . schrader's script is full of moments - <POS> wonderful , sharply defined moments </POS> - that are sorted throughout the remainder of his meandering screenplay . the exceptional aspects of the film are it's <POS> astounding technical credits and the amazing cast </POS> . goodman and sizemore are both electric ( well , mainly sizemore ) , but it's the phenomenal ving rhames who deserves a second look . watch the actor's deeply inspired dedication as he resurrects a gothic band member , and you'll understand why <POS> he won a golden globe </POS> . `bringing out the dead' is raw and electrifying often enough to mask it's certain flaws . scorsese - and cage , for that matter - have done better , but their intentions are <POS> certainly admirable </POS> .
