Ambulance movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Ambulance

This action thriller is now playing in theaters

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 16 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Michael Bay directs this action thriller with his classic style, strengths, and weaknesses. Some people love him while others hate him. I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews of this movie, but I was pretty entertained and thought the film felt like a true blockbuster.

This is actually a remake of a Danish film. The story is about two brothers who steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.

THINGS I LIKED:

They had me at Jake Gyllenhaal. I love that guy. He’s such an incredible actor and I love it when he goes from charming to unhinged in seconds. His brother is played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who does an excellent job.
The cast also includes Eiza Gonzalez, Garret Dillahunt, Moses Ingram, and A Martinez. They were all terrific.
Michael Bay is all over this movie. He plays a copy in the background in two scenes at the beginning and end of the movie. His dog is in the movie too! In the film, he’s called Nitro but Michael Bay actually named him Nitro-Zeus in real life. He also uses some of the soundtrack of 13 HOURS over the titles at the end of the movie. Michael Bay directed 13 Hours. He also directed the movie Armageddon where there’s another character named Will Sharp like in this movie.
The young actress who played the girl in the first car crash was really sweet and great.
I love it when movies reference other movies. Jake Gyllenhaal calls one of his crew “Mel” because he looks like he’s in the movie Braveheart, which he says is one of his favorite movies. I love that movie too and have seen it an embarrassing number of times! There are references to some other Michael Bay movies in this film: The Rock, Pearl Harbor, and Bad Boys.
The dramatic music by Lorne Balfe is really great.
I love aerial shots in movies. Great job with the drone work in this.
Great movie poster.
Los Angeles also stars in the movie. Sadly, it looks like the complete crime-ridden dump it has become in real life.
A good action thriller keeps the momentum and tension up, especially when the movie focuses on a massive car chase or manhunt. Michael Bay is great at that.
Some of the dialogue is pretty entertaining but it’s also mixed with some dumb lines that’ll make you roll your eyes and laugh at the same time. Both of those kinds of lines are entertaining.
The movie has plenty of heart as we watch the brothers interact with each other, as well as the character growth we see in Eiza Gonzalez’s character.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I hate shaky cam. The cinematography is all over the place.
The plot is pretty ridiculous and nonsensical at times with unnecessary woke comments.
It’s longer than it really needs to be.
Not all of the humor lands.
Lots of overly dramatic scenes and slow-motion shots.
Sometimes, there is so much yelling that you can’t quite hear what the characters are saying.
There’s a LOT of blood. Some of it looks pretty fake.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

The “N” word is used.
Profanity, including many F-bombs.
Lots of destruction, explosions, and car-smashing
LOTS of blood and gore
Intense violence with a huge variety of weapons
High body count

THEMES:

Military benefits and government red tape
Brotherhood
Purpose in life
Sacrifice
Greed
Family legacy
Ambulance drivers and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)

FUNNY LINES:

“Who wears Birkenstocks to a bank robbery?” – Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal)
“Yelling doesn’t help!” – Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal)
“It’s a very expensive car chase right now.” – Lieutenant Dzaghig (Olivia Stambouliah)
“That’s the whitest thing I’ve ever heard.” – Lieutenant Dzaghig (Olivia Stambouliah) “Well, I’m white. I can’t help it.” – FBI Agent Anson Clark (Keir O’Donnell)