STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
Young paramedic Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan) is thrust in at the deep end with the NYC ambulance service, partnered with seasoned medic Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn.) Initially gruff and reticent with his young charge, Rutkovsky eventually opens up to him and they form a begrudging bond, but he also detects a darker outlook on humanity, culminating in a call-out to a heroin addict who's given birth in her bedsit, that plunges them both into a dark web of destruction.
Emergency service workers, of any kind, always provide an interesting backdrop for human dramas. Constantly thrust into life and death situations, where tough decisions need to be made at the drop of a hat, it's always enthralling to witness those charged with handling such situations, and the dynamics that go through their minds. This drama thriller, from director Jean-Stephanie Sauvaire, which has arrived on Amazon Prime with little in the way of publicity, explores the world of paramedics operating in New York, and is unrelenting in its depiction of the wild ride they're thrust on.
Sauvaire thrusts our central character into a whirlwind of madness, starting with a shooting victim, onto dealing with a gang member who needs treatment while his homies wield a vicious dog, onto a heart attack victim in a restaurant, before a whole host of other incidents, at the expense of much in the way of effective character development in the opening half. Instead, it gradually develops as the relationship between our central characters grows over the course of the film. While Sheridan has the most to prove as the new (er) kid, Penn is the revelation, as a grizzled, burnt out veteran, who uses dark humour to cope, and has a darkness burning beneath that will erupt eventually. Mike Tyson has a fairly inexplicable supporting role as the station commander, but makes his presence felt.
It is a slow burning effort, that requires your perseverance, but is ultimately hugely rewarding, with a shattering finale that casts a light on a social statistic that illuminates the plight of life on the frontline. ****
Young paramedic Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan) is thrust in at the deep end with the NYC ambulance service, partnered with seasoned medic Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn.) Initially gruff and reticent with his young charge, Rutkovsky eventually opens up to him and they form a begrudging bond, but he also detects a darker outlook on humanity, culminating in a call-out to a heroin addict who's given birth in her bedsit, that plunges them both into a dark web of destruction.
Emergency service workers, of any kind, always provide an interesting backdrop for human dramas. Constantly thrust into life and death situations, where tough decisions need to be made at the drop of a hat, it's always enthralling to witness those charged with handling such situations, and the dynamics that go through their minds. This drama thriller, from director Jean-Stephanie Sauvaire, which has arrived on Amazon Prime with little in the way of publicity, explores the world of paramedics operating in New York, and is unrelenting in its depiction of the wild ride they're thrust on.
Sauvaire thrusts our central character into a whirlwind of madness, starting with a shooting victim, onto dealing with a gang member who needs treatment while his homies wield a vicious dog, onto a heart attack victim in a restaurant, before a whole host of other incidents, at the expense of much in the way of effective character development in the opening half. Instead, it gradually develops as the relationship between our central characters grows over the course of the film. While Sheridan has the most to prove as the new (er) kid, Penn is the revelation, as a grizzled, burnt out veteran, who uses dark humour to cope, and has a darkness burning beneath that will erupt eventually. Mike Tyson has a fairly inexplicable supporting role as the station commander, but makes his presence felt.
It is a slow burning effort, that requires your perseverance, but is ultimately hugely rewarding, with a shattering finale that casts a light on a social statistic that illuminates the plight of life on the frontline. ****