ASPHALT CITY
Based on Shannon Burke‘s novel Black Flies and directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, ASPHALT CITY follows newbie Ollie Cross as he navigates the unrelenting NYC night shift under the guise of a veteran paramedic.
Immersive handheld camera work and quick editing place the audience on Ollie’s shoes from the first frame. The sound mixing is stellar. There is a constant din of noise, whether it’s the score or the sounds of the city. The repeated angel wings motif is beautifully clever.
Michael Pitt plays co-worker, and piece of shit, Lafontaine. His dwindling morality acts as a mirror for Ollie. Pitt is vile and spectacular.
Sean Penn delivers a lived-in performance as mentor Gene Rutkovsky. He makes every role seem effortless, and this is no exception. His chemistry Tye Sheridan straddles fatherly and realistic confidant.
Sheridan gives Ollie a perfect balance of anxiety, rage, and a hero complex. We watch his sanity slowly crumble under the weight of the world’s evil. Sheridan is phenomenal as his priorities shift and nothing goes as planned. He proves himself as a leading man once again.
The screenplay leans into the human atrocities, the nuance of the job, and the complexities of the city’s eclectic population. ASPHALT CITY is a tense and deeply affecting drama rife with grief and grit.
EXCLUSIVELY IN THEATERS MARCH 29
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| CAST
Sean Penn “Gene Rutkovsky” Tye Sheridan “Ollie Cross” Gbenga Akinnagbe “Verdis” Michael Carmen Pitt “Lafontaine” Katherine Waterston “Nancy” Mike Tyson “Chief Burroughs” Raquel Nave “Clara” Kali Reis “Nia”
CREW Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire Screenwriters: Ryan King and Ben Mac Brown Based on: the novel Black Flies by Shannon Burke Producers: Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Christopher Kopp, Lucan Toh, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth, Tye Sheridan, Tina Wang Executive Producers: James Masciello, Matthew Sidari, Mitchell Zhang, Luke Rodgers, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, Jamie Buckner, Shannon Burke, Babak Anvari, Ryan King Director of Photography: David Ungaro, AFC Editors: Saar Klein & Katie Mcquerrey Production Designer: Robert Pyzocha Costume Designer: Stacy Jansen Music: Nicholas Becker and Quentin Sirjacq Casting: Lori Eastside Distributors: Roadside Attractions / Vertical Genre: Thriller Rating: R Running Time: 125 minutes |
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