Asphalt City

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2:24

Asphalt City

R

Released Mar 29, 2024

2h 5m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Asphalt City follows Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan), a young paramedic assigned to the NYC night shift with an uncompromising and seasoned partner Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn). The dark nights reveal a city in crisis; Rutkovsky guides Cross, as each 911 call is often dangerous and uncertain, putting their lives on the line every day to help others. Cross soon discovers firsthand the chaos and awe of a job that careens from harrowing to heartfelt, testing his relationship with Rutkovsky and the ethical ambiguity that can be the difference between life and death.

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Critics Consensus

Asphalt City can be commended for trying to highlight the unforgiving nature of EMT work, but the unrelentingly grim end results prove a punishing watch.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Despite the director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire throwing everything at the screen, the star is frequently sublime in a brutal and unrelenting film.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 22, 2024

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Grabs you by the throat about four or five times, but then you got all that other space, where we gotta talk about our feelings.

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (LAist)

I found this gloomy, gloomy, gloomy, and it made me sad because I like Tye Sheridan as an actor. This movie isn't doing him any favors.

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Eulàlia Iglesias

Fotogramas

[Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire] is not able to inject the same complexity and religious sense into a story that ends up bordering on Manichean caricature.[Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

Asphalt City moves away from spiritual overtones to focus on the social and moral challenges faced by its characters. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Dec 19, 2024

Full Review

Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

...this is truly an entertaining film. It says a lot more than meets the eye, and quite frankly, it’s better than it had any right to be. Strap on your seatbelts for this one.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 26, 2024

Full Review

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Brian W

Powerful film about the forgotten heroes.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

Serena

I truly didn't know what paramedics go through being first responders. Made me appreciate all first responders so much more than I already do. It was a good movie but a bit depressing too.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Mr. Hollywood

Was promising but missed the mark. It started out promising enough but then added a storyline that was not needed. Feels like they were not happy with showing a regular EMT they had to go the movie route where someone is accused of a murder. They should have stuck with just showing the hard and easy and bad and good life EMTs have

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Oleksandr G

Dark, grim, but still one of the best indies released this year. Outstanding acting by main actors

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/29/24

Full Review

Jeffrey P

Gripping character study of a paramedic that becomes more and more graphic as it progresses into being more and more captivating.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Audience Member

... the most horrific things you can imagine an EMT experiencing...... and then more...I promise you, there is nothing you could do that could prepare you for this...Anyone who thinks they want to be an EMT/paramedic should be required to watch this film. This is a commentary on the experience of some of the bravest men and women serving our country on the home front. Asphalt City has great direction, a great vision actually, but gets lost in the rabbit hole of reality and possibilities. These are things nobody should see, unless they choose too, rendering this film only appropriate for an extremely unique, select audience. CONTINUE READING ON LETTERBOXD: https://boxd.it/8GPRWh

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/25/25

Full Review

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Asphalt City: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Asphalt City follows Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan), a young paramedic assigned to the NYC night shift with an uncompromising and seasoned partner Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn). The dark nights reveal a city in crisis; Rutkovsky guides Cross, as each 911 call is often dangerous and uncertain, putting their lives on the line every day to help others. Cross soon discovers firsthand the chaos and awe of a job that careens from harrowing to heartfelt, testing his relationship with Rutkovsky and the ethical ambiguity that can be the difference between life and death.

Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Producer: Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Christopher Kopp, Lucan Toh, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth, Tye Sheridan, Tina Wang
Screenwriter: Ryan King, Ben Mac Brown
Distributor: Roadside Attractions / Vertical
Production Co: AZA Films, Force Majeure, Two & Two Pictures, Sculptor Media, Projected Picture Works
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Disturbing/Bloody Images|Violent Content|Pervasive Language|Sexual Content|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 29, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $216.9K
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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