Asphalt City

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2:24

Asphalt City

R

2024

2h 5m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

45%

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)

Apr 22, 2024

3/5

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

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Apr 5, 2024

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.

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Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (LAist)

Apr 5, 2024

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.

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Marta Medina Pérez

mundoCine

Aug 22, 2025

1.5/5

[Asphalt City] is a grueling and exhausting descent into hell aboard an ambulance, making for a fatiguing ride. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Eulàlia Iglesias

Fotogramas

Jan 17, 2025

3/5

[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]

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Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

Jul 26, 2024

3.5/5

...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.

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Brian W

Apr 9, 2024

Powerful film about the forgotten heroes.

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Serena

Apr 4, 2024

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.

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Mr. Hollywood

Apr 4, 2024

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

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Oleksandr G

@RT59365000 Mar 29, 2024

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

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Deirdre A

@dmoody Aug 25, 2026

Not rated highly enough by critics. Powerful performances by Penn and Pitt. All actors were excellent. This dark and honest movie will be a cult classic similar to Bad Lieutenant. I will watch again and recommend.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Aug 22, 2026

I love how the movie explores the dark side of being a paramedic. To see what these people have to deal with when out on calls. It's a crazy scene and it's not for the faint of heart. Sean Penn is great as always and his partner is even better. There are some shocking scenes and the ending was crazy. Absolutely enjoyed this movie. Tim Treakle

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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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