kyle_c

With Bringing Out the Dead, Martin Scorsese returns to the same territory as Taxi Driver, with Nicolas Cage starring as Frank Pierce, an ambulance driver burnt out from his job and in desperate need to save someone. Like Taxi Driver, it takes place late night on the streets of New York, with a main character on the brink of insanity. However, while there are surface similarities, the characters and themes are completely different. Taxi Driver is about loneliness and the struggles of a man out of step with society. Bringing Out the Dead is about guilt – Frank is haunted by the `ghosts' of those he failed to save. Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader carry over their wit and humor from Taxi Driver, only to a far greater extent, which gives the film a strange tone. There are numerous spots that walk the line between harrowing and hilarious - laugh out loud jokes interspersed with violence and blood. What is the result? Somehow these two mix together well to capture the strange insanity of the life that Frank lives. This odd mixture will be sure to put off viewers, and it doesn't seem quite right at parts, but on the whole it is quite effective.

The only thing this movie lacks that Taxi Driver has is an unforgettable main character – Frank is a fully developed character, portrayed brilliantly by Nicolas Cage, but he doesn't have that uniqueness that Travis Bickle had. Everybody can see a little bit of Travis Bickle in themselves, but Frank's situation is so unique that at times it is difficult to relate to him. In fact, at times, he is even overshadowed by some of his partners, who are hilariously insane and over the top, superbly portrayed by John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore.

Perhaps the comparisons to Taxi Driver are unfair – Bringing Out the Dead stands firmly on its own two feet. It's not perfect, but it is an incredibly ambitious project, and Scorsese and Cage deserve kudos for even taking the chance of making this film. When all is said and done, the merits far outweigh the flaws, and this goes down as a valuable addition to Scorsese's canon.

Truffaut's homage to the American gangster film stars Charles Aznavour as a smalltime piano player in a bar who has a secret past that he keeps hidden. The film almost falls into the trap of not being an homage to the gangster film, but rather being one itself. What saves it is the film's unique wit and charm - it's a blend of humor, romance, and gangster film. The gangsters themselves are quite funny, casually discussing everyday matters in a way that certainly had to influence Quentin Tarantino when he was writing Pulp Fiction. Some of the jokes are funny just because they are so silly (i.e., the gangster swearing his truth on his mother's grave). It's this sense of humor and the fact that the movie doesn't take itself seriously that sets it apart from other gangster movies of the day.

Peter Weir's first Hollywood film places Harrison Ford as John Book, a big city police officer, who, after investigating a case involving police corruption, hides out in an Amish community. Ford's performance is spectacular, proving his capabilities as a dramatic actor. Many of the scenes work well – Weir uses his trademark `stranger in a strange land' theme to create an interesting premise. The little details about Amish culture and how Book fits in with them are fascinating. However, in the movie's attempt to tell several different stories – a love interest, the culture clash, and the police conflicts – lead to the latter one being undeveloped and almost feeling unnecessary. To make matters worse, the film resolves itself in a very standard, tacked on payoff, that seems grossly out of place in an otherwise touching, well crafted film. A very strong film overall, brought down just a little by Hollywood's desire to please its crowds.