Film Review: ‘Asphalt City’ is a Bleak Experience Lacking in Sufficient Redemption

Imagine is someone saw Bringing Out the Dead and thought that was too pleasant of a film. Sounds delightful, right? Well, that’s kind of what we have with Asphalt City (formerly titled Black Flies), a drama that starts out bleak and just gets bleaker. The movie is well acted and has style to spare, but it’s all in service of a draining, empty, and ultimately hollow experience. You’ll wonder why you subjected yourself to it in the first place.

Asphalt City is a miserable experience, and intentionally so. In that regard, the film is successful, I suppose, but to what end? Dropping you into a nightmare look at New York City (mainly Brooklyn), without really anything in the form of redemption, just weighs on you. By the time the movie ends, you’ve thrown up your hands and given up. Plus, and admittedly this is more of a me thing, it opts to have an incredibly unnecessary dog death early on, which just compounds the problem.

Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan) is a young paramedic just starting out in New York City, as he studies to become a doctor. Assigned to the night shift, he’s immediately shunning by veteran Lafontaine (Michael Pitt), resulting in him being partnered with an even older medic in Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn). Ollie is green and sort of shocked by the danger and tragedy of each call, while Gene is seasoned enough to apparently not let it bother him. While the young man is having trouble fitting in, the older partner treats him well enough to hopefully get him up to speed.

As they answer 911 calls night after night, something seems to be breaking in both of them. Ollie is having issues connecting to a woman he hooks up with, while arguing with the roommates in his tiny apartment. As for Gene, his latest divorce is weighing on him, especially when he’s given some jarring news. It all comes to a head when a call puts them at odds over what, or perhaps what not, to do with a patient.

Tye Sheridan and Sean Penn do what they can here, and they’re both good, with Penn especially keying into this kind of a character, but the story is too thin to support them. The bare bones plot leaves them stranded, until it calls on them to make choices that make absolutely no sense. It’s a credit to the two of them that you can hang in there at all. Penn and Sheridan as partners like this plays well. It just needed a better movie. Michael Pitt is almost comedically broad as the most jaded NYC paramedic in history, while Mike Tyson and Katherine Waterston basically just cameo. Supporting players include Gbenga Akinnagbe, Raquel Nave, Kali Reis, and more.

Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire is doing his best Gaspar Noé impression, especially when it comes to lights. Unfortunately, his stylish direction just rings hollow, especially paired with the screenplay by Ben Mac Brown, Shannon Burke, and Ryan King (adapting Burke’s novel). Sauvaire doesn’t seem to have anything to say, nor really does the script, so he just tries to distract you. Instead, he’s more likely to disgust you.

Asphalt City bummed me out. I don’t necessarily need a full redemption arc by the end, but really anything would have been helpful. As someone usually completely keyed in on a bleak narrative, the fact that this put me off so should be a warning sign. If you see it, see it for Penn and Sheridan, but frankly…you can do better.

SCORE: ★★