NYC Paramedic Film ‘Asphalt City’ Trailer with Tye Sheridan & Sean Penn
by Alex Billington
February 21, 2024
Source: YouTube
“I know what you’re thinking… is it worth it? It’s the job…” Vertical has revealed the official trailer for an intense thriller set on the streets of New York City titled Asphalt City, made by French filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, of the film A Prayer Before Dawn previously. This first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year under the title Black Flies, but got pretty dismal reviews from most critics. A young paramedic is paired with a seasoned partner on the night shift in NYC revealing a city in crisis. Discovering the chaos firsthand, he is tested with the ethical ambiguity that can often mean the difference between life & death. Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan co-star, along with Gbenga Akkinagbe, Raquel Nave, Kali Reis, with Michael C. Pitt, Katherine Waterston, and Mike Tyson (yes, seriously) as their captain. It’s an intense and horrifying look at just how unsettling it is to work as an EMT / paramedic in NYC, tons of stress and gruesome encounters. I wish this was a better film, because it’s really hard to watch it or recommend it.
Here’s the first official trailer for Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s Asphalt City, direct from Vertical’s YouTube:
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 ethical ambiguity that is the difference between life & death. Asphalt City, formerly known as Black Flies, is directed by French filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, director of the films Johnny Mad Dog, Punk, and A Prayer Before Dawn previously, plus other shorts. The screenplay is written by Ryan King and Ben Mac Brown. Based on the novel “Black Flies” by Shannon Burke. It’s produced by Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Christopher Kopp, Lucan Toh, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth, Tye Sheridan, Tina Wang. This initially premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year. Vertical will debut Asphalt City in select US theater starting on March 29th, 2024.
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