Martin Scorsese Brings Out the Dead for Our Pick of the Week

Pick of the Week

Bringing Our the Dead [4K UHD, Paramount Presents]

What is it? An EMT struggles with his late night shifts.

Why see it? Martin Scorsese’s filmography features all manner of films, most of which are somebody’s favorite. The big ones are obvious, and my personal pick is After Hours, but for some fans, their preferred Scorsese is this lesser seen drama about EMT workers in New York City. It’s beloved and critically acclaimed, but for some reason, it’s been unloved by Paramount — until now. The studio’s new 4K UHD release gives the film some great new interviews and a fantastic new presentation that fully captures the shadows, the trippy asides, and the stark world of 90s NYC. Nicolas Cage headlines, and he’s joined by John Goodman, Patricia Arquette, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, and more, and all of them do solid work embodying the personalities who inhabit the night. Less about plot than atmosphere, the film is unlike Scorsese’s work in general, and now that it has a beautiful new release it’s well worth a watch (or a revisit).

[Extras: New 4K scan, interviews]

The Best

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

What is it? A newly restored version of the legendary “classic.”

Why see it? When you talk 1980’s Caligula, there are a lot facets to focus on. Tinto Brass in the director’s chair, a script by Gore Vidal, a cast of classy actors including Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud, Helen Mirren, and Malcolm McDowell — but editing room shenanigans saw producer Bob Guccione make some edits unknown to all of them. Graphic sex courtesy of his Penthouse Pets helped make the film infamous and a box-office hit even as it pissed off the other talents, but forty-four years later the original vision has finally been released. Newly re-edited from the extraordinary amount of original footage and restructured into something resembling Vidal’s actual script, the film is now far less salacious and notably stronger in the drama and character departments. Unseen scenes, alternate (and softer, more natural) takes, and even a reduction in the previously glorified violence all make for a film that leans closer to a historical epic. Is that an improvement? Well, personal taste will dictate that. This new version is more serious, longer too, and allows actors and characters alike more time to breathe. (Mirren benefits most on this count will far more screen time that she has in the original cut.) On the flipside, the film misses out on some of the salaciousness that it purports to be exploring. Happily, this two-disc release includes both the newly restored version and the 1980 original, so viewers can have their cake and fuck it too.

[Extras: New version and 1980 original, commentaries, featurette]

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXI [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? Three tales of intrigue and murder!

Why see it? The great Fritz Lang kicks off this collection, and it’s a fitting film as he’s arguably one of the big names in noir. Cloak and Dagger follows a scientist (Gary Cooper) who goes behind enemy lines on a wartime adventure that may end in his return, and it’s a tense, entertaining ride captured with striking black & white visuals. Shack Out on 101 is a rare film noir that sees its tale unfold mostly in a single location, and that locale here is a greasy diner that’s home to thugs, cute waitresses, and spies! Lee Marvin brings the sweaty charisma, and the film manages a fun enough little mystery as the spies, agents, and customers interact. Finally, while Shortcut to Hell is the arguably the weakest of the three included films, it’s a worthwhile curiosity as the sole directorial effort by James Cagney. A remake of This Gun for Hire, the film is a story about a hitman whose hunger for revenge clashes with a newfound morality, and it’s a solid time.

[Extras: New-ish 4K scans, commentaries]

The Rest

Les Femmes

What is it? Brigitte Bardot does as Brigitte Bardot desires.

Why see it? Brigitte Bardot was well known in the 60s as a big-screen sexpot, a woman whose looks captivated men and women alike. This 1969 feature from France celebrates that persona, arguably even pushing it forward more, but you’d be remiss if you didn’t also notice her acting chops. She plays a muse, of sorts, for a writer whose weakness is women, and while she fulfills her sexy duties she also manages to portray someone trapped within them. I don’t mean to imply it’s some deep performance, but there’s something there that she rarely got credit for. Anyway, the film itself is perfectly okay.

[Extras: Commentary]

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XX [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? Three noirs from the 50s!

Why see it? Alan Ladd plays a man seeking post-war revenge in Captain Carey U.S.A., but his plans crumble when the woman he loved is discovered alive and in seeming cahoots with the enemy. Nothing fancy here, but Ladd is his usual compelling and commanding self. Ladd returns in Appointment With Danger as a postal inspector investigating a coworker’s murder. This is the set’s highlight film, and it’s doubly worth it as a rare movie celebrating USPS workers. A woman discovers too late that her new husband is a killer in Make Haste to Live, so she leaves town only to find that he isn’t ready to let her go. It’s no Sleeping With the Enemy, but there are some solid enough thrills here.

[Extras: New-ish 4K scans, commentaries]

Madness

What is it? An Italian home invasion.

Why see it? Fernando Di Leo was a filmmaker whose best work captures the criminal underbelly of Italy with style, cruelty, and energizing action sequences. This feature from 1980 settles for just one of these, the cruelty, and applies it to a young couple terrorized by an escaped convict who takes them both hostage. It’s a sleazy romp — not a bad thing — but don’t go in expecting much more than that.

[Extras: Commentary]

Also out this week:

13 Notes in Red, The Chronicles of Riddick [4K UHD], Doomsday [4K UHD], The Long Good Friday [4K UHD, Criterion], Reacher: Season Two, Torso [4K UHD]