Bringing Out the Dead 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

In 1999, Martin Scorsese reunited with screenwriter Paul Schrader for this vaguely supernatural thriller, Bringing Out the Dead. Starring Nicolas Cage as Frank Pierce, a burned-out New York City paramedic suffering overwhelming guilt over the patients he failed to save, the film takes place over the course of three turbulent nights wherein Frank becomes increasingly unhinged. He begins to see apparitions of people he could not save, numbing his senses in alcohol, cigarettes, and harsher drugs. Patricia Arquette plays Mary Burke, a woman from a neighborhood close to where Frank grew up and is the daughter of a patient on one the calls Frank and his partner Larry (John Goodman) make on night one. Frank begins to take a close interest in Mary and her father over the course of the story and the two form a co-dependent bond.

What cinematographer, longtime Scorsese collaborator, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and Schrader combine for right from the beginning in this film is an aesthetic is something similar to Taxi Driver, the moody, music, the slow drive through the gritty streets of Manhattan, the colorful traffic lights reflecting off the vehicle through the windshield. As the depressing film progresses, one quickly realizes that the similarities are only in passing. These are all on the surface. The film’s dour tone and forced romantic interludes and drug binges without any underlying philosophical questions leaves this feeling like a dollar store Taxi Driver. While that film dropped in the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era, questioning government and a veteran’s place in a war-weary world, Bringing Out the Dead just seems to be paranoid and depressed for the sake of being that way.

Cage does a great job reprising a performance from Leaving Las Vegas for his role in this film without any major ham sandwiches dropped in the middle of the performance. In all, this feels like a tidy and competent film from a great filmmaker and his trusted collaborators, but not one that reaches the greatness of films from even a few years earlier, like Goodfellas or Casino.

Purchase Paramount Presents: Bringing Out the Dead [4K UHD + Blu-Ray + Digital Copy] on Amazon.com

The Video

Bringing Out the Dead has been newly remastered from the original camera negative, reviewed by Scorsese, cinematographer Robert Richardson, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. It was originally shot on the Panavision Panaflex Platinum with Panavision C-, E-Series and Super High Speed lenses on 35mm Kodak Vision 200T 5274, Vision 500T 5279, and Vision 800T 5289 film stock in the anamorphic format. It is presented in a 2.39:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. The grain structure is very fine and densely packed, with some attenuation, but it can still be seen and provides some crispness and detail, although this does waver. At times, some scenes in the ambulance or some faces, whether due to the bright white levels, the lenses, or some actual noise reduction, look a little smooth. Overall, however, there is good texture. And the contrast is bold, even though the highlights on lamplights, the ambulance lights, or the lights of the skyline may pop brightly, but not with a lot of nuances. For example, you do not see through the lamplights to the inner bulbs. There is also a bit of black crush, but some of these things are more artistic choices inherent to the film than problems with the transfer.

The Audio

Bringing Out the Dead gets a Dolby Atmos mix on 4K Ultra HD. The sound is subtle with lots of atmospherics spread across the surround channels and overheads and the raising of songs above the base channels a bit. The sound is naturally dynamic and clear, picking up subtleties in tone and volume shifts. It is easy on the ears and very open, but also not very engaging and not making the most of the Atmos format.

The Supplements

There are no bonus features on the 4K disc, but the Blu-ray gets a slew of new bonus features, plus this Paramount Presents release is packaged in a gorgeous slipcover with a foldout of the original poster art. A digital copy code is also included.

Bonus Features (Blu-ray Only):

• Filmmaker Focus – Martin Scorsese on Bringing Out the Dead (1080p; 00:12:08) — Visionary filmmaker Martin Scorsese shares stories behind the production, touching on casting, shooting in New York City, and the music and art that inspired his approach. (NEW)
• A Rumination on Salvation – Nicolas Cage on Bringing Out the Dead (1080p; 00:14:42) — Academy Award® winner^* Nicolas Cage relates tales of wild nights in New York City, his cerebral approach to his character, and his time with Scorsese prior to shooting. (NEW)
• Cemetery Streets – Screenwriter Paul Schrader on Bringing Out the Dead (1080p; 00:06:04) — Legendary screenwriter Paul Schrader talks about adapting author Joe Connelly’s novel, how traveling with real paramedics informed his writing, and his creative partnership with Scorsese. (NEW)
• City of Ghosts – Cinematographer Robert Richardson on Bringing Out the Dead (1080p; 00:09:20) — Frequent Scorsese collaborator and Academy Award® winning^**cinematographer Robert Richardson opens up about shooting Bringing Out the Dead and how the film personally resonated with him. (NEW)
• On Set with Patricia Arquette (1080p; 00:06:06) (NEW)
• On Set with John Goodman (1080p; 00:05:39) (NEW)
• On Set with Ving Rhames (1080p; 00:02:57) (NEW)
• On Set with Tom Sizemore (1080p; 00:03:00) (NEW)
• On Set with Marc Anthony (1080p; 00:04:50) (NEW)
• Exclusive Cast and Crew Interviews (SD; 00:10:56)
• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 00:02:32)
• Theatrical Trailer (#2) (SD; 00:02:32)

The Final Assessment

This disc looks good and sounds good, while the movie itself is a little bit of a difficult watch, although it does contain numerous strong performances from the cast including Cage, Goodman, Arquette, and Tom Sizemore.

Paramount Presents: Bringing Out the Dead is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital September 17, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment

Purchase Paramount Presents: Bringing Out the Dead [4K UHD + Blu-Ray + Digital Copy] on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: R (for gritty violent content, drug use and language)
• Studios & Distributors: De Fina-Cappa | Paramount Pictures | Touchstone Pictures | Paramount Home Entertainment
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Written By: Joe Connelly | Paul Schrader
• Run Time: 121 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible)
• Subtitles: English SDH