Code 3
review by Bobby Blakey
While most noted for the US version of The Office, Rainn Wilson has had his share of interesting roles in films including House of a 100 Corpses, The Rocker, Super and so many more. His latest film Code 3 co-stars Lil Rel Howery, Aimee Carrero, Rob Riggle, and Yvette Nicole Brown with director Christopher Leone at the helm, but does this film manage to keep the audience alive or will it need to be resuscitated?
Code 3 follows a burned-out paramedic taking on one final 24-hour shift to train his replacement, only to find the night spiraling into chaos. Packed with heart, humor, and high-stakes action, the film is a ride from start to finish.
To be honest I knew nothing of this film and only decided to give it a try due to Wilson and Howery being involved. I had very little hope as it just seemed silly so imagined my surprise when I got a different film that I expected and one I ended up enjoying. Part of it working is the tone and how the narrative is done with the other being Wilson himself leading the charge in a different way than expected.
The film kicks of with Wilson breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience as he explains life of a paramedic. This element pops up again from time to time and really injects the film with that something different to elevate the story it is telling which is simple and to the point. It brings some laughs, but honestly it is way more of a serious tone than expected, especially given the comedic nature of the poster. It would fall more in the dark comedy genre I guess, but felt it was more about taking us into the world of EMS.
To my surprise it took the subject matter and details of the world of the paramedic seriously and while I have no clue how accurate the job itself seemed as though it
was a love letter to the profession and serves as a good peek into the stressful job. It’s not too serious are heavy but still felt like there was some truth to it in some strange way. It does go into some over the top insanity on some of their stops but often shifts the tone back to a serious situation.
This isn’t one of those films that will change anything to the genre or even stand out all that much but works for what it sets out to do. I went in hoping it would be tolerable and left entertained and something that fans of any of the cast will probably enjoy.
Decide for yourself and check out Code 3 in theaters now from Aura Entertainment