If someone offered you a million dollars for driving a car two hours straight, you would probably say yes. However, if someone asked you to drive a car full of stolen money and hostages with the entire LA law enforcement chasing you, you may change your mind. Unfortunately, Michael Bay’s characters are not that sensible. Ambulance is an absurd, bold, and overly-dramatic story where Bay has prioritized entertainment over logic. The movie intends to give the viewers a healthy shot of adrenaline. You have to keep an open mind while watching Ambulance because after all, it’s a Michael Bay non-Transformer movie.
Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a war veteran and in need of money. His wife needs surgery, and Will has exhausted every plausible way to arrange the amount. Having no other alternative Will approaches his foster brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). Danny specializes in bank robberies. Instead of helping his brother with money, Danny offers Will to be a part of a 32-million dollar heist. Of course, it is the score of a lifetime. Will grudgingly agrees to the offer. So how do we get two brothers in possession of an ambulance, two hostages, and bags full of money? A botched bank robbery.
Ambulance contains a lot of Michael Bay banalities. It portrays over-the-top antics, exaggerated monologues, and too many slow motions. I never expected to see bullets traveling in slow motion in this action thriller. Bay even references his movies in the film, an audacious decision. We have the classic Bay frenzied style with explosions and high-speed car chases. In addition, the characters bring raw and unfettered aggression to the movie. The movie employs humor to lighten the tone in a few sequences. Given the nature of the film, this could have been a 90-minute rollercoaster ride. But for reasons unknown, the movie ended up being more than 2 hours long. At some point, you do feel the drag.
However, Bay showed focus in this project. He stuck to the fact that the movie is essentially a two-hour car chase. The film mainly focuses on the post-robbery situation. One of the problems with Transformers was that the series had become convoluted. There were too many subplots for viewers to keep up with. In Ambulance, however, there are not many complexities involved. But Bay did include scenarios in the movie that seemed haphazard. All of a sudden there are different factions of people with conflicting interests.
It is time to delve into the characters. The foster brotherhood bond between Danny and Will was natural. It was not melodramatic. Danny’s father, LT, a notorious criminal in his time, adopted Will. Yet, the endearment Will had for Danny was not due to some moral obligation. Yahya and Jake did excellent work in depicting this bond. However, the juxtaposition of these two men was cliché.
Danny is eccentric and brusque. He is astute and subtle when doing heists. However, he is usually irascible and has little control over his emotions. His sudden outbursts in the movie allude to the fact that there is nothing understated about him. Also, his mercurial attitude makes him more threatening. The dialogue “A maniac with brains” from The Expendables II perfectly fits Danny.
Jake Gyllenhaal brings the intensity and aggression this character needs.
The sequence between Danny and Zach during the robbery shows the artistic ingenuity of Jake Gyllenhaal. In addition, he gives the character a touch of humor. It would be easy to brand Danny as a ‘bad guy.’ However, Jake’s portrayal of this character does not make it that simple.
Yahya’s Will Sharp is Danny’s antithesis. He is calm and sorted. He is the ‘good brother’ who does not get into trouble. Will’s driving skills are impeccable, and he knows the streets of Los Angeles to the heart. Hence, it’s on him to maneuver them safely to their destination. He has to protect them from the law enforcement and the hostages from his brother. Yahya portrays the dilemma of a war veteran doing something illegal. A man torn between moral obligations and family, Will makes decisions he might regret. Yahya showcases the repercussions of those decisions on the character through his performance.
Surprisingly Cam (Eiza Gonzalez) was the protagonist for me in this movie. Cam is a veteran EMT and one of the hostages of the two brothers. As the story progresses, she becomes an anchor to the whole plot. Through her character, we see the sacrifices and courage of the noble EMT. Although, most of the things she does in the movie are less pragmatic and more gruesome. The excruciating medical scenes punctuated her performance furthermore.
Eiza brings the sheer will that EMTs possess in her performance.
Cam’s character is stoic, and Eiza plays it well. In my opinion, the purpose behind the character was to highlight the strength and endurance of EMTs. At the same time, it was to depict the fact that these people do possess emotions.
You cannot search for hidden messages or depth in movies like Ambulance. It is a straightforward high-octane thriller for ardent fans of mayhem and violence.
It is not clever. We have a police officer who spends almost two hours unconscious in the story. The character of FBI agent Anson did not have any significant impact. I think the USP of Ambulance was two foster brothers against the world. The ending disappointed me. It was too conventional. Also, there should have been a lid on the drama. There shouldn’t be lines of dialogue like “Please tell my wife I love her (with dying breaths).” The makers should have used music and not melodramatic dialogue to set the tone.
This wasn’t a masterpiece by any means. However, I will give props to the movie for introducing me to Christopher Cross’ Sailing Takes Me Away.