“Code 3” is an Unexpected Heartfelt Letter to EMTs
It’s no secret that medical professions make interesting subject matter for film and television. At any given moment, there are, conservatively, at least five medical dramas airing on television. We simply cannot get enough of the high-pressure job that is saving someone’s life. It’s usually the doctors and nurses who are the central characters, but Code 3 puts the spotlight on a group of people who will remind you over and over again that they are NOT doctors or nurses. They are emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Often the first on the scene, they’re also first to be forgotten. EMTs are heroes in their own right, and Code 3 captures the highs and lows of one twenty-four-hour shift.
Most EMTs do not last long in the job. The opening of Code 3 sees a new hire leave before completing an entire shift, but Randy (Rainn Wilson) is the exception that proves the rule. He’s been doing this for nineteen years, and it has taken a toll on him physically and emotionally. After a particularly bad shift, Randy decides he’s going to apply for nine-to-five desk jobs. When an interview he thought he bombed ends with a job offer, Randy has one final EMT shift remaining. Accompanying him are his longtime driver, Mike (Lil Rel Howery), and a new recruit, Jessica (Aimee Carrero). Will Randy be able to keep it together for twenty-four hours?
Wayfarer Studios, Circle of Confusion
With cast members like Howery, Wilson, and Yvette Nicole Brown (who plays Randy and Mike’s boss), one might expect Code 3 to be a wholly comedic look at the life of EMTs. In actuality, it’s a far more balanced look at the humor and the hard reality of the job. A lot of the jokes come from the gallows-esque humor that EMTs develop in order to cope with every shift. These people are on the frontlines and they see terrible things. Sometimes they’re harmless and silly. Other times, they’re horrific and tragic. Sometimes the people they treat live to see another day, but others aren’t so lucky. Code 3 never lets the audience forget what’s at stake, and no matter how jaded Randy may act, he still wants to make a difference.
Code 3 is an unexpected skewering of the American healthcare system. Each of the members of the crew the film follows has their own story of what made them pick up the trade. They’ve all been hurt by this broken system and want to try to leave the world a little better than they found it. They’re tired, overworked, and berated, but they still clock in every single day because the alternative is that people don’t receive care. Code 3 moves quickly from one 911 call to another, never staying too long in one situation to create a nicely paced film. The fairly contained narrative also works in the film’s favor by creating a pressure cooker of sorts to create growth. A lot can happen in 24 hours, and Code 3 does an excellent job of showing that these hours are just another Tuesday for the EMTs. As Randy points out, the worst day of your life is just another call for him. Code 3’s mix of tones creates a funny, touching film that speaks to the unsung heroes of the healthcare world: the EMTs.
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