Collaborating with screenwriter Paul Schrader and cinematographer Robert Richardson, Scorsese transforms New York into a "river of death". The film uses high-contrast lighting and syncopated editing to capture the manic energy of an ambulance racing through traffic.
: Frank describes himself as a witness to suffering whose only job is to soak up the pain of the city. Bringing Out the Dead
: For Frank, bringing a patient back from the brink is a drug-like high; when he fails, he spirals into a "cold turkey" withdrawal of guilt and madness. A Masterclass in Nightmarish Style when he fails