Asphalt City

Ollie Cross is a young paramedic in New York, working the night shift while preparing for his medical school entrance exam. He is paired with Gene Rutkovsky, a veteran of the city's emergency service, who becomes both his partner and his mentor. Together they answer calls across the city, moving between shootings, difficult patients and the everyday strain of a job where a single decision can mean the difference between life and death. Ollie's early idealism is steadily worn down by the ethical compromises and harsh realities he encounters.

The film is directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, following his 2018 feature A Prayer Before Dawn. The screenplay is by Ryan King and Ben Mac Brown, and Sean Penn, who plays Rutkovsky, also produced. Tye Sheridan plays Ollie Cross, with Gbenga Akinnagbe, Raquel Nave, Kali Reis and Michael Pitt in supporting roles.

Released in March 2024 and running two hours, Asphalt City drew modest numbers from audiences, with an IMDb rating of 6.1 from around 8,600 votes and a 6.2 on TMDB from a much smaller pool of 235. A critics' rating of 5.5 from 54 reviews places professional assessment slightly below the audience scores. The film is a British-American production.