Ambulance

An unacknowledged adaptation of GTA V that rides the wave of "the good" Bay from the nineties. That is to say, it's far from overblown not only in terms of runtime, pathetic, B-movie, deliberately stupid (which is not a rule with Bay), but fun and flashy. Double shame about the superfluous final 20 minutes, otherwise satisfaction from the "turn off your brain, have a couple of beers, get the popcorn ready and tune in to your boyish self who likes to bump into Englishmen for no reason" drawer. (03/16/2022)

I didn't expect that three quarters of the film would be a car chase, one eighth a gunfight and the rest the necessary introduction to the plot and the final breath. Most importantly, I didn't expect it to be so great, and I don't think a better director than Michael Bay could have taken this script. The incessant action is extremely colourful and the playful music video look suits it well, it's clear that a lot of what happens on the screen happened on the set and that the stuntmen and pyrotechnicians got a good payday. Sure, at times it's really, really, really stupid, but in those moments the film either readily admits it with a wink or solidly disguises it. I could have done without Papi's car ambush, which didn't really belong here, otherwise I can't complain. I wouldn’t mind watching it again. (03/25/2022)

After a botched robbery, Michael Bay has the two protagonists steal an ambulance and take a hostage, and a chase across L.A. begins. And it's Bay, full of slow motion, crazy explosions and stylish camera work. Only this time, the director tries to be unexpectedly serious at times and doesn't completely underestimate the character work. Unfortunately, what looks for a while like a serious action drama that might even work, ends up getting beaten to death by childish humour, overwrought action and the fact that he's just making what he's always made. So in the end, it's more or less exactly the kind of wildness one expects from Michael Bay. Whether that's a good or bad is for each to decide. (03/17/2022)

It's hard to decide from which side to take the film, because perhaps in all aspects that I can think of, it scores full marks. The plot skeleton is straight out of the "how to construct a heist caper" handbook and where I would have dismissed another film like this without interest, here I am supremely satisfied because Ambulance has a huge amount of added value. The actors are great, Jake Gyllenhaal is a classic deranged badass, Yahya Abdul-Mateen as his brother is great and the chemistry between them works perfectly, and Eiza González (or Megan Fox from Wish) is perfect, beautiful and fun to watch. Likewise, the characters are not boring and all of them get a solid background around which we can build our emotions, so we actually root for all of them and on all sides. The cops don't act like demons, on the contrary, they also get the space to show their strategies, and so we simply watch two hours full of screaming action in which we don't know who to root for until the finale. In the director's chair is none other than Michael Bay, and boy has he not let us down. The car chases take up 60% of the film and are simply excellent, the action is gritty and realistic, the guns are firing at full blast, and last but not least, I have to praise the sometimes unconventional but all the more engaging and immersive cinematography (the drone shots are simply a feast for the eyes! !!!) and especially the excellent soundtrack, which gives the film its sphere. I was expecting something generic and average and I got an action ride that I will dream about for a long time to come. For me, Ambulance is the definition of a perfect action movie, combining all kinds of action, plus great cinematography, apt humour and an ace creative team. As with any action movie - those who look for mistakes will find them, those who want to enjoy the film to the fullest will just turn off and let themselves be carried away for two hours. (03/16/2022)

An amazing Bayhem, for me the film of the year so far and one of Michael Bay's best films! Ambulance is a combination of Den of Thieves and Wrath of Man, and if you like purely male movies full of adrenaline and testosterone you won't go wrong with this one – I died and came back to life in the cinema, metaphorically speaking fell and rose from the ashes like phoenix! Bay sets a very fast pace from the opening and thrusts us into a heist where absolutely everything gets fucked up, and the action then shifts to the ambulance, which is where the whole film takes place, and although it sounds uninteresting, you better believe you'll be wiping your brow with adrenaline. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent, a chameleon of an actor (he overacts at times, but why not), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is terrific as well as a former marine playing a very charismatic hero. Eiza Gonzalez, nothing to worry about here, great acting, great looks, Bay couldn't have picked a better trio of actors for this project. The action is uncompromising, the gunfights (no one has better sound design for guns than Bay!), the car chases, the helicopters, it's all there and I didn't feel like I was watching a movie at all, I felt I was watching a live broadcast of a crime in progress in LA, so the authenticity and realism gives it a high dimension. In other words, Bay has made his own movie version of GTA and for me it was a dream come true. I must also single out the great soundtrack (the music was ear-splitting and added to the tension and adrenaline). Bay's drone-camera was downright revolutionary, the aerial shots were so riveting that Deakins and Hoyt are quietly envious. The operation on the fly – the best shot operation in a movie since Saw, even a gore lover gets their serving, so pure euphoria and bliss. On top of all that, the dramatic and emotional moments work (Bay can bring tears in the opening 5 minutes, not to mention the ending!), and praise must be given to the FBI who finally showcase a very good antagonist, two intelligent fighters on opposite sides of the barricade, awesome and add to that the military tricks and a cartel and there is really little left missing for the audience to have a stroke. Flawless for me, I'm going again next week and then again. I liked how Bay references his own films. Story 3/5, Action 5/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 5/5, Emotion 5/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10. (03/21/2022)