Directed by:
Michael BayCinematography:
Roberto De AngelisComposer:
Lorne BalfeCast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Moses Ingram, Garret Dillahunt, Colin Woodell, Keir O'Donnell, A Martinez, Devan Chandler Long (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
In this action thriller directed by Michael Bay, veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money, turns to his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) for help. A career criminal, Danny instead offers him a huge score. But when their heist goes awry, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop and EMT (Eiza González) onboard. Will and Danny must evade a city-wide law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and somehow try not to kill each other, all while executing the most insane escape LA has ever seen. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (13)
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.
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In Ambulance, Michael Bay may have toned down the explosions, but this is still an action-packed caper, where logic sometimes takes a back seat to an impressive atmosphere. I thought I'd seen this story somewhere before, and it was only in the database that I realised I'd once seen the Danish version. From a technical point of view, I would criticise the film for the camera shots that are sometimes too cluttered – at times it almost looked like the cameraman was high on something. Story-wise, as I mentioned, there is more than one over-the-top moment (especially during the operation of the policeman, who is almost forgotten in the last act), but that's kind of Bay's thing. In the end, the film tries to play on emotions quite blatantly, pushing the envelope disproportionately hard compared to the rest. The cast was overall fine – perhaps only the pompous Captain Monroe was annoying. All in all, it was a slightly overlong but entertaining one-off, with a decent soundtrack (at times some of the tones evoked Interstellar).
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A hard and fast guided tour of Los Angeles and a movie record of exactly the same bank robbery as we see in "Grand Theft Auto V"... the one the ambulance... enriched by the recycled screenplay of the Danish original (thank god for the Scandinavians) about two brothers who need some money. In addition to the very effective camera flybys (guaranteed to make you barf if you watch this at the IMAX), Bay unexpectedly looks into the motivations and the character traits of all the main protagonists. It wrings out all it can from the emotions. Everyone has his place and is important in some way. But character development takes nothing away from this being a heavy-caliber Bay movie with cars crashing into obstacles and automatic weapons firing in the background: artists on the wrong side of the law playing a concert. Gyllenhaal savors playing the looney Danny to the very last drop, whether he is ordering flamingos for a birthday party or persuading his brother to help him rob a bank which this very day happens to have millions of dollars lying in the safe. And you must admit, the rest do a very good job of being extras. Balfe’s frenetic music is full on. Is this movie dumb? Yes. And is it fun? Yes. "You shouldn't have worn fucking sandals, dude."
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There was a time when I eagerly anticipated every new Michael Bay film. But ever since Transformers, he's turned into a total hack. This might just be his worst film yet. It's dreadful, with a lackluster cast that shows zero emotion — something I never expected from Jake Gyllenhaal.
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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.
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