“Saving someone’s life is like falling in love. You wonder if you become immortal, as if you’ve saved your own life as well.”

Director:
Martin Scorcese

Producers: 
Barbara De Fina
Scott Rudin

Writers: 
Paul Schrader (screenplay)
Joe Connolly (novel)

Co-stars:
Patricia Arquette
Ving Rhames
John Goodman
Tom Sizemore
Marc Anthony
Cliff Curtis

Movie Synopsis:

Frank Pierce is a burntout paramedic who is haunted by visions of the people he’s tried to save as he works the nightshift in a relentless New York City. Barely awake and exhausted, each callout and each patient blurs into one long barely waking nightmare for Frank, who is desperate to be fired by his boss, who in turn is even more desperate for any paramedic of the bizarre motley crew to actually turn up for work at night in a city heaving at the seams with drug users, drunks, and casualties of life.
The paths of Frank and Mary cross when he arrives at the scene of her father’s heart attack. A relationship begins in the patchy moments of connection, when Frank is delivering a new patient to the busy hospital emergency department, and Mary is there with her Father. Both are somehow drawn together in the ever darkening landscape as Frank’s desperation begins to spiral and the full extent of Mary’s own demons becomes known.

Trailer:

Nicolas Cage movie quote:
“I wanted to work with Scorsese, and I felt that what paramedics do is so important to the community, and people don’t really know what they do. When they get there, it’s like, “You’re late!” or “Couldn’t you come any faster?” or “It’s about time!” or “Don’t take me to the hospital!” and all that. But Marty would say that they’re saints. And I think it’s important that people know what these people go through.”

Interesting Facts:
Joe Connolly who wrote the novel was a New York City paramedic himself and had a cameo in the movie.

A third of the movie was shot inside ambulances and in the middle of the night.

In researching his role, Nicolas Cage spent time riding in ambulances with NYC paramedics on real call outs, and spent time in the hospital emergency department.

(c) Cagealot Castle