The struggle is real.
Haunted by memories of those he lost, Nicolas Cage’s beyond-stressed paramedic struggles to hold on to a glimmer of hope while driving himself over the edge in Martin Scorsese’s searing drama.
Delivering one of his best performances, the hardest-working actor in show biz ditches most of his over-the-top mannerisms, instead offering up very-grounded work.
Owner of a thousand-yard stare, Cage’s EMT gets down in the muck and mire — blood and bile his constant companions — desperate to find a reason to go on, to keep marching into the human inferno.
This one burns, in a good way.