Bringing Out the Dead appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This turned into an effective Dolby Vision presentation.
Sharpness largely worked fine. A smattering of wider shots came with minor softness, but the majority of the flick brought solid accuracy.
The film came with no signs of jagged edges or moiré effects, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural, and print flaws failed to mar the proceedings.
Dead went with a blown-out palette that often opted for garish tones to reflect the extreme situations on display. The disc depicted them well, with an extra boost from HDR.
Blacks came across as dark and tight, while low-light shots demonstrated appealing clarity. Whites and contrast got a nudge from HDR. We got a fine rendition of the film.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Dead came with an active Dolby Atmos soundtrack – maybe a little too active at times, though I guess this made sense for the flick’s chaotic nature. The mix used all the channels on a frequent basis, and this could overwhelm somewhat.
Nonetheless, the audio managed to engulf the viewer within the street and hospital locations. Effects and music surrounded the audience in a manner that added kick to the proceedings, even if I felt the back channels took over a little too loudly at times.
Audio quality worked fine, with speech that seemed concise and natural. Music varied somewhat dependent on the source, as the flick featured a mix of score and songs, but these components generally showed positive reproduction.
Effects offered good accuracy and impact, with clean highs and warm lows. For the most part, I felt satisfied with this track.
No extras appear on the 4K disc but we get a bunch on the included Blu-ray copy, and Filmmaker Focus runs 12 minutes, eight seconds. It brings notes from director Martin Scorsese.
“Focus” examines what brought Scorsese to the project, the source novel and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, cinematography, music, and the film’s release/reception. Though too brief, this turns into a fairly informative reel.
A Rumination on Salvation goes for 14 minutes, 42 seconds. It involves actor Nicolas Cage.
He chats about his casting and working with Scorsese, his character and performance, research, his co-stars, and his thoughts about the film. Cage offers a vivid and enjoyable conversation.
Next comes Cemetery Streets. In this six-minute, five-second reel, we hear from screenwriter Paul Schrader.
The filmmaker covers his script and research, the cast, collaborating with Scorsese yet again, and the movie’s reception. Though brief, Schrader hits on a lot of interesting topics.
City of Ghosts lasts nine minutes, 20 seconds. This reel features cinematographer Robert Richardson.
We learn about his photographic approach to the film as well as some experiences along the way. Richardson brings solid insights.
Those first four featurettes boasted newly-shot interviews, but the remaining extras all come circa 1999. Under On Set, we get separate segments with actors Patricia Arquette (6:06), John Goodman (5:39), Ving Rhames (2:57), Tom Sizemore (3:00) and Marc Anthony (4:50).
Across these, they tell us about their roles and performances as well as working with Scorsese and general thoughts about the production. These vary in quality – Arquette’s chat proves most illuminating – but they generally tend to feel fairly superficial.
In addition to two trailers, we finish with Excluaive Cast and Crew Interviews. In this 10-minute, 57-second reel, we hear from Scorsese, Cage, Arquette, Goodman, Rhames and writer Joe Connelly.
This featurette looks at story/characters, cast and performances, research, and related topics. Some content repeats from the prior reels, but the addition of Connelly helps make this a useful program.
Note that the Blu-ray only appears in this set. As of September 2024, Paramount has not announced plans to release the BD on its own, so for now, it remains exclusive to the 4K issue.
When a film combines Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Nicolas Cage and a supporting cast of strong actors, one expects a masterpiece, but Bringing Out the Dead doesn’t become that film. At its best, it makes for a reasonably thrilling and darkly entertaining view of the "mean streets", but the movie becomes bogged down by many dull moments that attempt to flesh out the main character. The 4K UHD comes with solid picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials. Expect a quality release for an erratic movie.