Vertical and Roadside Attractions are set to give the paramedic thriller Asphalt City (formerly known as Black Flies) a theatrical release on March 29th, and in anticipation of that release we have the EXCLUSIVE first look at a clip from the film that features the lead characters, played by Sean Penn (Mystic River) and Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One). The characters are taking a dinner break in this clip, and you can see how it plays out by taking a look at the video embedded above.

Based on Shannon Burke’s 2008 novel Black Flies, Asphalt City was directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (A Prayer Before Dawn) from a screenplay by Ryan King and Ben Mac Brown. The story follows Ollie Cross (Sheridan), a young paramedic assigned to the night shift alongside uncompromising and seasoned New York City EMT, Gene Rutkovsky (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.

Penn and Sheridan are joined in the cast by Gbenga Akkinagbe (Fast Charlie), Raquel Nave (Bizarre Again), Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country), Michael C. Pitt (Ghost in the Shell), Katherine Waterston (Alien: Covenant), and Mike Tyson (The Hangover).

A Sculptor Media Production, in association with Projected Picture Works, AZA Films, Two & Two Pictures, and Dogwood Pictures, Asphalt City was produced by Penn and Sheridan, alongside Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Christopher Kopp, Lucan Toh, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth, and Tina Wang. Sauvaire, King, and Burke serve as executive producers with James Masciello, Matthew Sidari, Mitchell Zhang, Jamie Buckner, Luke Rodgers, and Babak Anvari. 

Roadside Attractions’ Eric d’Arbeloff and Howard Cohen told Deadline that they were “deeply moved by the incredible portrait of EMT life on the streets in New York that is the heart of Asphalt City. Director Jean-Stephane and stars Tye Sheridan and Sean Penn together deliver an unforgettable work of visceral power about these unsung heroes of urban life.“

Vertical’s Peter Jarowey added, “Tye and Sean deliver such raw, intense performances that truly draw the viewer into the heroism EMTs exhibit, but also explore the dark underside of having to walk the line between life and death every day.“

Are you interested in Asphalt City? Check out the clip, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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