Film Review – Asphalt City

1999’s “Bringing Out the Dead” presented a grim understanding of paramedic life, following a collection of strung-out, freaked-out characters trying to make sense of the job and their encroaching insanity. Director Martin Scorsese wasn’t afraid of the horror, but he wanted something a bit more profound with the film. “Asphalt City” doesn’t show the same restraint, with helmer Jean-Stephane Sauvaire overseeing a direct entrance to urban hell, studying all the points of pressure facing a small assortment of EMS workers as they deal with New York City’s worst. It’s a pressure cooker viewing experience from Sauvaire, who’s looking to generate a level of anxiety that mirrors what the professionals are facing. However, instead of understanding job responsibilities and the sheer violence of the work, Sauvaire looks to get artful and extended with the picture, often distracted by his own moviemaking interests. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com