Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

Bringing Out the Dead is a wild ride along the edge of a nervous breakdown. Frank (Nicolas Cage) is an ambulance driver who can't sleep because the persons he hasn't been able to save come back to haunt him and talk to him. John Goodman and Ving Rhames are two jaded shift partners but Tom Sizemore is an amped-up wack job eager for blood -- he's even willing to pick a fight and cause some of it himself. The photography and psychological torsion of this film are amazing; kudos to Martin Scorsese! The real drama is in the line between Frank's haggard grip on life and how he's losing it but he develops a platonic love interest with Patricia Arquette that forms a haven of comfort for both. This movie is reminiscent of City of Angels, Angel Eyes, The Sixth Sense, and (probably, since I haven't seen it yet) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It's a keeper! 5 stars.