Christopher Leone’s “Code 3” (2025) is a drama about healthcare workers, which comes in the wake of HBO’s “The Pitt,” a show that brought this subgenre back to prestige television. Noah Wyle ensured that we return every week to meet the medical professionals — to experience their endlessly grueling routine. He made us care about the amount of love and effort put into these jobs despite the long hours. His show made us feel the emotion behind every single part of its operation in a profession where logic outweighs sentiment. It also showed how they all must go through each day almost stoically, or otherwise, it will crush their spirits in no time. They can’t even promise anything since they don’t know if their patients will make it or not.
Leone covers all these aspects through his new film, which centers around a team of paramedics as he follows them over the course of a 24-hour shift. Yet, unlike “The Pitt,” it leans more towards something like “House MD” or “Scrubs.” Leone’s film builds a sense of urgency through its tragic undertones, but balances it with plenty of humor. It also plays out like a workplace comedy with plenty of banter between its paramedics. That’s why it feels like a cross between “Scrubs” and “The Bear,” following burnt-out employees of a hectic workplace.
Besides the pre-established elements of these projects, Leone and Patrick Pianezza’s script also follows a familiar structure, leading to a dramatic crescendo where a character gets their definitive moment to express what’s been bubbling under the surface. Yet, despite all the familiarities of its emotional beats, “Code 3” works remarkably well, thanks to the wonderful acting performances, mainly from Rainn Wilson, Aimee Carrero, and Lil Rel Howery. The creative team also cleverly casts Wilson and Howery, two traditionally comedic actors, and places them in a setting that requires them to show their dramatic chops. It’s as smart as casting Bill Hader in “Barry” or Jim Carrey in “Eternal Sunshine.”
With Wilson and Howery, you get the best of both worlds. They seamlessly switch gears between humor and tragedy in “Code 3,” but it’s not the kind of comedy that people usually associate them with. Instead, it’s the organic humor of hectic situations, akin to Chris Storer’s show. Similarly, Leone’s film finds organic moments of drama and humor through the workplace dynamic between its three leads. It opens with a scene that takes you right into the heart of the matter, as it tracks Randy (Wilson) and Mike (Howery) walking into an emergency incident with a new joinee (Xolo Maridueña).
Mike and Randy are seasoned professionals who are well-versed in what they are supposed to do. So, they get out of each other’s way and follow their usual routine. However, the newbie is unequipped to handle the situation, emotionally and technically, which makes him angry and panicked, unlike his seniors, who are calm and professional. It plays out almost like a usual day in their lives, up until something breaks the sense of calm, and the entire operation quickly descends into a moment of chaos. By the end, the scene not only establishes its comical tone but conveys how these paramedics are paid shockingly low salaries despite the stakes of their everyday lives.
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It leads you to ask a question that becomes the crux of this entire film: Why would you work on such a job? After all, the paramedics earn meager salaries, no matter how crucial they are in the healthcare system. They get next to no respect from the doctors (at least in this film), and are perceived as mediators rather than professionals, since their knowledge is questioned almost every step of the way. The film reveals more about its reasons while following Randy and Mike over the course of a single shift. It happens on a day when Randy is so burnt out that he decides to leave his job after over 15 years of working there. So, he hopes to find a replacement who will pick up from where he left off.
The same day, Jessica (Carrero) hops into their van as a part of their small team, joining them in every situation they are expected to address. She witnesses the toll it can take on a person through this first-hand experience of every incident. Leone reveals intricate details about every situation, which makes the drama all the richer, more evocative, and urgent. It all feels lived-in and personal, more so because of the performances. The three leads are exceptional in organic bits, but they are just as impressive at times when the script packs its critique about the unfairness of the system to the brim.
It’s all done with a noble and humanist intention, but it’s forceful and hardly organic, as characters feel like vessels for what the filmmaker wants to say. Still, the actors sell the tragic core of its critique while also letting you in on the characters’ turmoil. Through Wilson’s brilliant act, you see Randy not just as a burnt-out employee, but as a man so devoted to helping others that he found no time to build a life away from his profession. Similarly, through Carrero’s passionate act, you see Jessica not just as an outspoken novice but as a bright, self-assured woman who speaks her mind without fear of consequences. Wilson shines especially in a scene where his character is so candid that it would almost make you want to hug him right after. Trust me, it’s farther from what you remember of him as Dwight Schrute.
Leone handles it all well as he details their push-and-pull dynamic with their job. However, “Code 3” falters toward the end, where it nearly romanticizes the stress since it’s a seemingly unavoidable part of their life. It rings false in a film centered on a profession with virtually no mobility, however noble the work itself may be.
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