Tye Sheridan plays a wide-eyed EMS rookie from Colorado whose new job is night shift in a gritty area of New York. He’s soon partnered with a grizzled vet (Sean Penn) and their emergency encounters form the majority of this film. They deal with gunshot victims, junkies, crazies and other manner of unpleasant situations. Sheridan delves deeply into his troubled character, while Penn plays his cards close to his hardened chest. Even though there are personal moments, they don’t really add much depth to their characters. As the obnoxious rough guy, Michael Pitt creates the most interesting personality, while Mike Tyson is surprisingly cast as a Chief. The jerky camerawork, glaring lighting and jumpy editing add an urgent style without having much effect. The stress of the job is the point here and the growing anxiety of their work takes its toll. Even so, the film seems rather surface and is never especially compelling. BTW, when it premiered at Cannes, it was titled Black Flies. 
(2 / 5)
