“Asphalt City” (2023) starring Sean Penn & Tye Sheridan / Z-View

Asphalt City (2023)

Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

Screenplay:  Ryan King, Ben Mac Brown; based on BLACK FLIES by Shannon Burke.

Stars:  Tye Sheridan, Sean Penn, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Raquel Nave, Kali Reis, Michael Pitt, Katherine Waterston and Mike Tyson.

Tagline: Welcome to the frontlines.

The Plot…

Ollie Cross is a rookie paramedic teamed with veteran E.M.T. Gene Rutkovsky on the night shift in New York City.  On each call one or more people’s lives are on the line, sometimes including Ollie and Gene themselves.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I tapped out after about thirty minutes.  I didn’t care for any of the characters.  If the intent was to show EMT’s face dangers on every call, that the public can be difficut to serve and death is always near.  Mission accomplished.  I didn’t need another hour and a half of unrelenting bleak drama.  Of course your mileage may vary.

Asphalt City (2023) rates 1 of 5 stars.