National Treasure (released in 2004) - Starring Nicholas Cage, Jon Voight, and Diane Krueger

Directed by Jonathan Turteltaub (other credits include: While You Were Sleeping, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), the film is about  cryptologist and historian - Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage (other famous movies - The Rock, Con Air). It also stars Diane Krueger (Inglorious Basterds, Mr. Nobody), Jon Voight (Pearl Harbor, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), and Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music).
Young Benjamin is loitering about in the attic, on a stormy night in 1974, he is about to open an ornate wooden box, when his grandfather John Adam Gates (Christopher Plummer) chances upon him; the old man then narrates to him the story behind the scrap of paper in the wooden box. The year was 1832, the only surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll is anxious to speak to the then 7th President – Andrew Jackson - before he dies. However, the President is not at the White House that night, and Carroll has to share the secret with a stable boy -Thomas Gates, young Benjamin’s ancestor.
Thomas is apprised of a great treasure collected throughout history from different parts of the world, before it was discovered by the Knights Templar - who ‘spaced it out’ all over Europe and America, so that it did not fall into any one man’s hands. The Freemasons, an offshoot of the Templars, with big names like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had helped the Knights conceal this treasure from the British. They devised covert codes, maps and clues, which only they knew; as time went by, all the clues save one were lost - that last trace was left with Charles Carroll, and it read ‘The secret lies with Charlotte.’ In keeping with the nature of clues -  it was so cryptic, Carroll had no idea what it meant!




When Ben asks his father Patrick Henry Gates (Jon Voight) about the treasure and the Knights Templar, he expresses skepticism, and asks the child’s grandfather to leave, but not before Ben asks the old man whether he is a knight. Instead of answering the child, he asks him whether he would like to be knighted, and why would a kid refuse such an offer? John knights Ben, charging him with the duty of finding the treasure.
We meet Benjamin, with his trusty aides - in the inhospitable Arctic, in search for a sunken ship called the ‘Charlotte’. They sift through the wreck, finding only kegs of gunpowder, till the team comes across the corpse, which they think is most likely the Captain’s; what makes it noteworthy is that it sits guarding a barrel, in macabre-after-life allegiance. When the barrel is opened, it cases a meerschaum pipe, in ivory-at the bottom of which is inscribed a riddle:
‘The legend writ, the stain affected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen, Mr. Matlack can't offend.’
Apparently, fifty five men had sworn to carry out a task, Matlack was Timothy Matlack, the scribe at the Continental Congress, the men had signed the Declaration of Independence that he had penned. When one of the team - Ian Howe, wants to have a closer look at the document, Ben refuses, reluctant to get close to an artifact of such import; this angers Ian, who declares he can steal the Declaration and find the treasure using the clues in it. Ian steals the pipe and document, escaping, but not before he sets fire to the ship, trapping Ben and Riley (Ben’s friend) in it - the two however, unbeknownst to Ian, escape unscathed.
Back in the US, the duo try and convince the FBI, DHS and lastly Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Krueger), an expert on historical documents, that the Declaration of Independence could be stolen - no one believes them. Ben tries to win the latter over by sending her the missing election pin of General Washington, as a token.
As Ben and Riley discuss things over, they come to the conclusion that in order for it to be safe - the Declaration must be stolen before it falls into Ian’s hands. This they plan to do at a gala event to be hosted at the National Archives sometime later in the week.
In the guise of a worker at the gallery, Ben makes his way in, he later changes into a tuxedo, offers champagne to Abigail, and uses her thumb print to open the ‘Preservation Room’ using the password ‘Valley Forge’ to get in. He now stands before the Declaration of Independence, but just as he is about to open the case, Riley’s video feed is interrupted - by none other than Ian. With no way out, Ben grabs the case with the Declaration, only to bang into Ian on his way out - dodging bullets, he makes for the elevators, freeing it from its case. Meanwhile Abigail’s suspicions are raised when she does not see the pseudonym Paul Brown (used by Ben when he met her first) on the guest list - cornered; Ben makes a dash for it, whilst Abigail is accosted by Ian and his goons, who think she has the coveted document. Ben saves her, while Ian escapes with a document - a hysterical Abigail is told that the original is still with Ben and she needn’t worry.
The only safe haven for the three now is Ben’s father - Patrick’s house. Here they decipher the inscription behind the Declaration, which further links them to letters written by Benjamin Franklin.
A few more wild chases later, and a clever ruse to get Ben away from the FBI planned by none other than Ian, the duo meet and go down to a tunnel in search of the last clue - only to reach a dead end, that almost costs Ben his life, but he is saved by Patrick who intentionally misleads Ian with a false clue. When Ben is ready to turn over the Declaration, the Agent reveals he too is a Freemason, and promises the safe delivery of the document to the National Archives and arrest Of Ian. Considerably richer and financially secure Ben and Riley call it a day, with Riley still grumpy about the money they could’ve earned.
The movie has been called all sorts of things, ‘silly’ being one of them, but an enjoyable ride for kids and adults alike, despite holding only a 44% rating with Rotten Tomatoes.

Adaptation - Released in 2002 - Starring Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper

In 1998, Susan Orlean, an American journalist investigated a case of orchid poaching in a south Florida state preserve. Her book is a glimpse into the peculiarities of the lives of the people in the plant business and the struggles they face on a day-to-day basis. The result was the book “The Orchid Thief”.
In 2002, the book was the inspiration for the movie ‘Adaptation’, in which Meryl Streep plays Susan Orlean, Chris Cooper plays John Laroche , the poacher, and Nicholas Cage brings to life the twin characters of Charlie and Donald Kaufman; in real life, Charlie Kaufman has written the screenplay. The meta character of the film talks about Charlie’s challenges whilst trying to adapt the book for the silver screen, in that it is almost a semi autobiographical memoir of sorts.
The character of Laroche has many interesting shades; here is a man obsessive about creating a clone of the extraordinary Ghost Orchid, to reap rich benefits; the catch is that they grow in an elusive swampland which is Seminole (a Native American Tribe) Territory, the Natives use an extract from the flower for illegal drug use. John takes advantage of the Seminoles’ legal right to use their own ancestral property as they will - and ropes in members of the community to help him out.
His passion is evident when he asks Susan whether she knows why he likes plants:
“You know why I like plants?  Because they're so mutable. Adaptation is a profound process. Means you figure out how to thrive in the world.”
Perhaps that sets the cadence for the film - the means of finding out how to succeed in the world. ‘Adaptation’ quibbles over the Darwinian principle of how to adapt, as opposed to how to evolve; it is extrapolated to the excruciating course taken to adapting The Orchid Thief into screenplay.




In the movie, Charlie assays the character of Laroche at great length, but is unable to find more ‘meat’ to adapt this character for the screen; he is also unable to represent the breathtaking beauty of the orchid visually. Since the book is more of reportage, it lacks the inherent drama required for a movie, and therein lies the challenge for Charlie, who suffers from a case of prolonged writer’s block.
Dealing with his own personal demons - depression, social phobia, self loathing - Charlie struggles to create an impact on Amelia Kavan (played by Cara Seymour; Hotel Rwanda, Gangs of New York), his own diffidence and insecurities act as a barrier, keeping him from her, although she is undoubtedly interested in him.
The opening voice over waxes eloquent about Charlie’s copious foibles - bald pate, lack of talent, least enviable body etc. His monozygotic twin Donald, also an aspiring writer, with far less talent yet tons more confidence, chooses to make Charlie the subject of his writing, fascinated with the sibling’s  ‘chalk’ to his ‘cheese’ existence. The bi polar character he writes about has shades of the twins, except that it is a madman and woman, wrapped in one - to Charlie’s utter bewilderment, he wonders how Donald would get them together in the same scene - ‘when one has the other locked in the basement’. However, Donald’s “clichéd psycho-thriller” sells for a million bucks, as the ink starts to flow from Charlie’s end – unconsciously referring to his own life and times  throughout the screenplay.
Charlie’s much thumbed copy of The Orchid Thief, resplendent with yellow post-its and neon highlights, gives him sleepless nights, not only because the gauntlet jeers at him, but also because he fancies himself besotted with Susan, whom he calls to mind in a state of euphoric self gratification.
These three characters are primary to the story line, the shades to their person, their anxieties, their joys and trials are what pepper the script-not the usual sex, action and car chases. However one may try and avoid the pitfall of ‘formula’- it is almost impossible. And when Donald, posing as Charlie meets Susan (the latter gets cold feet, and returns), he feels something is amiss. The two follow Susan to Florida, only to discover Laroche and her in the throes of Ghost Orchid-drug-induced passion.
A violent car chase ensues, with Donald getting killed and Susan being arrested, in case you’re wondering about Laroche - an alligator got to him before the police did. With Donald gone, Charlie picks up the pieces of his life, and writes the screenplay, with Gérard Depardieu in mind.
The film won nominations for Streep, Cage and Cooper at the 56th British Academy Film Awards; while at the 75th Academy Awards, Cooper was awarded in the Best Supporting Actor category. Interestingly, Donald Kaufman is the only fictitious character to have been nominated for an Oscar!

Action thriller - Gone in 60 seconds (released in 2000) (starring Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie and Robert Duvall)

"I didn't do it for the money. I did it for the cars." (Memphis)

Gone in 60 Seconds is somewhat loosely based on the 1974 film by the same name; the current movie was directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish), was released in 2000, and stars Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie and Robert Duvall, among an ensemble cast.
Randall “Memphis” Raines (Nicholas Cage, The Rock, Con Air) is an ex-car thief, who is forced to go back to his thieving ways when the Brit crime czar threatens to kill his brother Kip, when he failed to deliver a consignment of stolen vehicles on time.
How to save his brother ? The condition is to steal 50 cars in 72 hours, with his former partners-in-crime Otto (Robert Duvall, who played roles in Godfather, Speed) and Sway (Angelina Jolie, most famous in Lara Croft and Salt).
Suspicions are fanned when LAPD detectives come to learn of Raines’ return- Memphis must get the cars to the Long Beach Docks. These fifty beauties range from the Aston Martin, the Dodge Viper, Ferrari, to the Pontiac, Lamborghini and Volvo, each of them are code named after girls - Bernadine (Jaguar XJ220), Pamela (Chevy Corvette), Sharon (Pontiac GTO) etc.




All goes according to plan, until Detective Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) throws a spanner in the works and takes out three cars - not one to be deterred, Memphis steals three cars from the police parking lot in retaliation. The Achilles’ Heel is Eleanor, the 1967 Mustang – which Raines has tried to steal on many occasions prior and failed. A Hollywood style chase takes place, which ends with Memphis jumping the car over a jam.
Unfortunately, Memphis reaches 12 minutes late - which almost cost him his life and the Eleanor is ordered to be crushed. When LAPD learns of the actual reasons for Raines return to crime, Castlebeck teams up with him to kill Calitri -who falls to his death. Kip presents Memphis with the keys to an old Mustang, which he bought in exchange for his chopper, finally happy, with his criminal past behind him, Raine and Sway drive into ‘happily-ever-after’.
Despite the impressive cast, the film received mostly poor reviews, the real star of the movie though, was Eleanor, the Mustang - with its replica named Roneale (Eleanor spelt backwards). The movie promises turbo-charged, adrenaline pumping thrills, but delivers only high decibel hype - do consider watching it just for Jolie’s pout, since Cage’s mumbling tone and the alternating screeching of brakes makes for little that could be termed entertaining.
The plot seems jaded, and the rush one awaits at the prospect of fifty machines displaying such brazen horsepower-never really happens. Great cast, fifty awesome cars, and 118 minutes later - the movie is still lame and boring. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced Days of Thunder, The Rock, Con Air etc, really lost the plot this time. Love your cars, maybe make a really nice movie with cars that tell the story , but do refrain from glorifying car theft, no matter how pressing the reasons are!

Film - Con Air - Action thriller starring Nicholas Cage and John Malkovich (released in 1997)

The movie marks the 1997 directorial debut of Simon West, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock). Con Air, the name borrows inspiration from the JPATS (Justice Alien and Prison Transportation System), the largest prison transport network. Nicholas Cage (Face Off, The Rock) plays Gulf War veteran Cameron Poe, who returns home to his wife, pregnant with their first child, and who ends up killing a drunken man who assaults her- this lands him in a maximum security prison.

Eight years down the line, he is being let off for good conduct. He nervously looks forward to meeting his daughter - the child he’s never seen before. Flying on a C-123, the Jailbird will take him home to Alabama. His co-passengers include Mike "Baby-O" O'Dell, the vicious Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, along with his   right-hand man, Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones - they are being transported to another penitentiary. 

Also on the plane is the Drug Enforcement Agent Duncan Malloy, who gets another agent Willie Sims on board, in guise of a prisoner; unbeknownst to the others, Malloy arms Sims with a gun. Their aim is to get the transported drug lord Francisco Cindino to divulge more information about his operations; the US Marshal Larkin (John Cusack, America’s Sweethearts) on board agrees, unaware that there is a weapon on the person of the agent.
Cyrus (John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire) provokes his fellow passengers to riot; they end up hijacking the Jailbird. Pretending to befriend him, Poe plants a recording device on one of the guards, who would be off loaded in Carson City, dressed as a prisoner. The aircraft is now manned by “Swamp Thing”, with Cindino, the master mind close at heel. Cyrus commands Joe "Pinball" Parker, to get rid of the transponder telling plant it on another plane. But just as the Jailbird is airborne, the guards discover the device Poe had planted, and they alert Malloy and Larkin.

Joe Parker meets a gory end as his body is lodged in the landing gear when the plane takes off - but not before Poe sends in a note to Larkin telling him about what’s going to take place. The Marshal alerts the National Guard to go to Lerner Airfield, an abandoned airbase. Meanwhile, Poe’s identity and intentions are discovered by Billy Bedlam, who had found the parole letter, thus revealing the fact that Poe was the traitor amongst them - he ends up dying at the hands of Poe.
The  plane lands at the airfield but goes off the runway - skidding to halt in sand, next to a tank of propane.
Cindino had planned for his jet to already be there - but seeing that it isn’t, the Virus commands everyone to start digging into the sand to free the plane. Marshal Larkin makes it to the scene, preventing Cindino and his minions from escaping, when the Virus gets to know how Cindino duped him - he kills the drug lord.
An ambush is evaded as Larkin helps the Guardsmen - all the other prisoners return to the Jailbird, including Cyrus – who discovers the true intent of Poe, he tries to get even by shooting Poe’s friend Mike Baby’O.
The transponder helps Malloy track the aircraft, ordering it to land in Las Vegas, but lack of fuel causes it to crash land at The Strip. Cyrus is killed by a pounder at a construction site, as are his pals Swamp and Jones.
Poe is reunited with Casey and his wife, all’s well that ends well, or like Baby ‘O said –‘God’s got my back’.
Almost ten different aircrafts were used while filming the movie. It has a wonderful soundtrack, especially the song “How Do I Live Without You” (which was nominated for an Oscar in 1997) is hauntingly lovely!
The audiences worldwide received the film well- its current approval rating is 55% on Rotten Tomatoes- it is an action-packed entertaining thriller, worth a second watch!

Film - Face Off (starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage) - Action thriller - Released in 1997

“There is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
Face /Off is an out and out thriller, throw in sentiment for good measure, a few teary eyed moments and voila - a full thriller where you don’t have to think too much. The cops and robbers routine is taken to the next level when FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) loses his son to Castor Troy’s (Nicholas Cage) bullet - one which was meant for him.
Castor’s Achilles’ Heel is his brother Pollux Troy (Alessandro Nivola); they are both planning a bomb blast in LA -  whilst Castor is severely wounded in the gun battle that ensues, Pollux, the only guy who knows the location of the bomb, is taken captive.
Meanwhile, the vegetated state of Castor ensures there’s no way he’s disclosing the whereabouts of the bomb, so it’s now left to Archer to step up to the moment.
In a bizarre proposal, doctors tell Archer he can take on Castor’s identity – by way of a ‘Face/Off’. He has so much at stake but mainly the memory of Michael, his son, needs to be laid to rest. And so agrees to get a new face, a new identity. After the operation, Archer (as Troy) is incarcerated in the same prison as Pollux, and manages to get the location of where the bomb is planted. The tricky part now is getting out unscathed from Erewhon prison.
Castor Troy, now faceless, arises like phoenix from the ashes, and manages to get a face for himself - that of his rival Archer. And along with the new identity he has certain perks – a lovely wife, a beautiful home and a whole lot of ways to make sure that he uses the FBI to get rid of Archer once and for all. In order to earn the trust and praise of the department, Castor defuses the bomb - and becomes a hero. He takes to his new role like a fish to water, while the actual Archer faces near death in a prison riot, but manages to escape; once out, his aim is to get in touch with all of Castor’s network - his buddies and girlfriend, included.
Déjà vu when Castor (actually Archer) sees Adam, Sasha’s son (Castor’s ex) - and memories of Michael come flooding back. On the other hand Archer (actually Troy) is making inroads with Jamie - the daughter, who says she can never bring herself to forgive her father for what happened to her brother Michael. Having climbed the upper echelons of the Department ladder, Archer now takes matters into his own hands after he kills an FBI big gun and is himself promoted to Assistant Director In charge - virtually untouchable AND hopping mad because Cage killed his brother Pollux.



Meanwhile the actual Archer (in guise of Troy, played by Cage) approaches Eve, his wife and convinces her that the man in her home is the impostor Castor Troy; she tells him that Troy will be attending the funeral of the official he’d killed. But Castor, a veteran to cat and mouse games, is a step ahead, and he takes Eve hostage. In the gun fu that ensues Castor manages to escape in a speed boat, only to be brought down by Archer, who wins back his family and self respect, with a second chance at caring for the child Adam, whose mother Sasha was killed in the crossfire.
John Woo is known for bringing the Asian character to his films - they may be a little over the top, however, audiences love them. Both Travolta and Cage were two actors he had worked with earlier in Broken Arrow and Windtalkers. An excellent play is conducted by Woo on the words and names in the Film. For instance, Castor and Troy, according to ancient Greek Mythology - are brothers who make up the constellation Gemini, the prison Erewhon is the word “nowhere” written backwards.
With a rousing musical score by Hans Zimmer, the Movie was well received by audiences and critics alike - it was nominated for the Academy Award for Sound Editing (70th Academy Awards, 1998), losing to the Titanic. It won the Best Action Scene in the MTV Movie Awards and the Best Directing and Writing in the Saturn Awards.

Film - The Rock - Starring Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris (released in 1996)

Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer are famous in the film making world, known for the action and fast paced movies that they make. This post is about a movie that they made a fairly long time back, a movie that is still popular on its re-runs, and which made a fairly large amount of money. Nowadays, movies can make upwards of a billion dollars, and Michael Bay has directed the Transformer series, the return of which exceed 2 billion dollars, but this was in 1996, and for a movie to make the $335 million that The Rock made was a big amount. The movie also won praise from critics, something that Bay's later movies have not got.
The movie had some interesting moments, with there being disputes regarding the credits for writing the movie, and even some tension between Michael Bay and the studio executives (Walt Disney Studio). And for an interesting moment, when there is a scene in the film where the character played by Sean Connery throws off the FBI Director from the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and he dangles from the edge of the hotel; the shooting led to calls to the hotel from concerned bystanders who could see a person hanging from the edge of the building. The movie shows a lot of the Alcatraz Island, located in San Francisco Bay area, close to the Golden Gate Bridge, almost like an advertisement for people to come and visit it.




The movie takes the line of a crisis situation, where the experts are not available, and suddenly, you have to depend on somebody else to help resolve the situation. In the movie, a group of rogue marines (Recon Marines) led by a disenchanted leader, Brigadier General Frank Hummel (Ed Harris), plan a situation where they will force the Government into a crisis situation. He is very disenchanted with the Government ignoring the marines and other soldiers who have done so much for the country, but have been ignored, and in their deaths, their families have been ignored. So, he plans to force the situation. He and his men capture a very dangerous weapon, multiple sets of VX gas–armed M55 rockets, force their way into Alcatraz Island, and capture the tourists visiting that place. They set up the rockets, and then threaten the Government that unless the Government pays them $100 million (which will be distributed to his men and to others who died in situations which the Government will not acknowledge). This sets up a crisis situation, pulling in the military and the FBI.
The first rush of any Government in such a situation is to send in forces to end this kind of situation, but there is some complexity. They need somebody who is an expert in such weapons, which pushes in Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), who did not expect that he would need to go with them, but is informed that he will also be going in with the team. The bigger problem is about getting inside the island undetected, which has to be an underwater mission, utilizing the inner network of the island. There is only such person, a high security prisoner who once broke out of the Alcatraz jail, John Mason (Sean Connery). Mason is in prison for a long time, without any record of his detention, his main crime being that he learnt too many secrets that the Government will not want to disclose. But he is important for the mission, and hence he needs to be let out of the jail, showing an interesting chase sequence through the hilly roads of San Francisco, with Stanley chasing after Mason.
So they finally enter the former prison, and Mason is able to guide them inside. However, there are preventive measures that the FBI and military did not know about, and the skilled squad is detected and forced into a fire-fight, where they are all killed at the hands of the rogue soldiers. Who is left ? Mason and Stanley. Mason has not interest in all this, and wants to leave, with Stanley urging him to stay on and help to complete the mission. There is an alternative mechanism also being put in place, by bombing the entire island with special explosives that will destroy the chemical weapon but also kill all the tourists who have been detailed on the island. It's a fast paced movie, and well worth watching.

Film - Raising Arizona - Starring Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter (released in 1987)

Sometimes you have movies that do not do great when they are released, but then attain the status of a cult classic over a period of time, and this ends up benefiting the DVD sales of the movie. The movie was made on a low budget of $6 million and earned $22 million, so one really cannot claim that it was a big hit at the time of release. However, it now finds mention in the list of top 100 comedy films, especially with the background that is a Coen brother film (some of their other films include Fargo, No country for old men, The Big Lebowski, etc). The brothers had made their previous film Blood Simple as a crime film, and wanted to make a different kind of film, one that was more optimistic and full of life. The movie stars Nicholas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, Frances McDormand, and Randall 'Tex' Cobb.
Raising Arizona was shot in a short period of time, taking a total of 13 weeks to shoot. On release, the critical review was mixed with many reviewers liking the style of the movies, and others having the same reaction, complaining that the movie focused more on style than on substance. However, recent reviews have been more positive, and the movie has an enviable rating on the Rotten Tomatoes site. The scene depicting the bank robbery has come in for a lot of praise.




The movie takes the life of Herbert I. "Hi" McDunnough (played by Nicolas Cage) and policewoman Edwina "Ed" (played by Holly Hunter). Their meeting is very interesting, since Hi is a criminal who Ed met when he was in jail, and they continue meeting when Hi is in jail. When he gets out of jail, they decide that they want to live together and get married, and start living in a mobile home in the desert. Next, they want to have a baby, and that is where the problem starts. They discover that Ed is infertile, and they will not be able to adopt a child because of the past criminal record of Hi. So what to do ? They hear of the 5 sons of the local rich man, the furniture king Nathan Arizona and decide to kidnap one of these sons, this boy being Nathan Junior.
However, life is never so simple. They get a visit from his former prison buddies, Evelle and Gale; with their presence, there is a lot of temptation for Hi to back to doing the stuff he used to do earlier, even though he is now married. And then, his supervisor Glen (played by Sam McMurray) proposes a wife swapping, leading to Hi assaulting him. And then, in a comic caper, Hi decides to steal some diapers for the baby, and is seen by Ed, and pursued by the police and by the cashiers of the store he was stealing from. Ed does rescue him, but there is tension between them now. Things get even worse the next day. His supervisor has learned the identity of the child and wants it, and Evelle and Gale hear this and also turn on Hi, binding him and taking junior. They decide to rob a bank, and the fun starts; Ed and Hi decide to get the baby back, and so does Nathan Arizona as well as a bounty hunter who had offered to get the child back.
What happens next ? Well, you need to see the movie and enjoy for yourself.

Bringing Out the Dead (1999), directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Nicholas Cage - movie did not do too well

After a couple of movies such as Casino and Kundun, Martin Scorsese returned to the same location that is a staple of his movie, the gritty New York areas where he takes people with deep emotional conflicts and shows up the progression of these conflicts. In 'Bringing Out the Dead', Scorsese made a movie where he depicts the life of a deeply traumatized paramedic working the night shift in a New York Hospital (he has been traumatized by some of the experiences that he has seen, especially that of a young homeless girl; and his job is one that exposes him to profound grief shown by others - typically the relatives of people who area admitted to emergency services and who often do not survive). He is what you would call a typical recipe for a person heading to a collapse, with his nerves and emotions driving him to a point of collapse.
He realizes that he is headed to towards burnout, already suffers from insomnia, and wonders whether he will, in his current condition, meet another victim whom he cannot save; and he attempts to try and get fired. And then he gets salvation.
The movie was based on a novel by Joe Connelly (screenplay for the movie by Paul Schrader); but even though the movie is now considered a pretty good movie, it was a disaster at the box office with the US box office collections only making half of the $32 million budget.



The movie is a frantic 3 days, where the main character has 3 different partners in terms of his work as a paramedic (and the 3 partners also portray their roles - with 3 entirely different types of characters, one being very engaging, the second being more of a stirring type of person, and the third being more crazy). The path to salvation for Frank Pierce (Nicholas Cage in a pretty fine performance) comes from his meeting with the daughter of a heart attack victim that Frank had helped save; he meets Mary (Patricia Arquette) when she often comes to visit her father in the hospital.
It is Mary who, in her interactions with Frank, passes on her compassion and her feelings of helping others, which finally takes Frank out of his depression; repair his feelings about the people he was not able to save, and finally cure his insomnia.