Ambulance – Surrender to the Bayhem

The reputation of director Michael Bay goes without saying. A celebration of excess, be it big and loud explosions or frenetic editing just to name a few, his films have never been accused of being highbrow. Sometimes audiences just want to turn their brains off and be entertained and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that as his films continue to find an audience. Escapism can be a powerful thing. When it comes to Ambulance, based on the 2005 Danish film The Ambulance, it is no different. Featuring all the bayhem audiences have come to know and love for better or worse, this version takes the premise of the original film and overstretched it into something that is nearly double the running time of that film and it will definitely feel that way at times. Nevertheless, most audiences will be too entertained by all the insanity to notice. Shot in the middle of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with a surprisingly lower budget, this makes the production even more impressive. All in all, it’s still a highly-entertaining albeit incredibly stupid watch.

Ambulance follows a pair of brothers from different walks of life named Will (Mateen II) and Danny Sharp (Gyllenhaal) who find themselves in trouble after a failed bank heist. While the why of it all doesn’t really matter, this was only the beginning for them as things just got increasingly worse from there. Going into it for different reasons, they were still trapped by the consequences of their decisions. One of the big ones was hijacking an ambulance as a means to escape with super EMT Cam Thompson (González) and an injured police officer named Zach (Jackson White) still aboard. From there, a high speed chase ensued between them and the authorities that seemed like it would go on forever. Of course this wasn’t the usual high speed chase. A cat and mouse game between Will and Danny and Captain Monroe of the LAPD (Garret Dillahunt), the film was full of clashing personalities in the midst of the chase. Meanwhile, Thompson had her own motivations. In the end, what kept the chase going was the void of logic to create said moments of bayhem.

Ultimately, the outcome could have gone in many directions but it was clear that something questionable was going to happen to keep the chase going across downtown Los Angeles. At that point, it’s best to just let it go and not question it though it does get repetitive in the middle. Putting all that aside, Ambulance was still a tense and entertaining watch with enough flare to keep audiences engaged. The editing (or over-editing), score, sound design, and special effects gave it a sense of scale and spectacle, featuring some great action pieces along the way. However at the end of the day, all good things must come to an end. Whichever way things were going to go (most can probably guess how), they were likely going to come down to Will and Danny. That being said, Thompson’s role should also not be underestimated as her resolve was also tested as she stood up for herself while tending to her patient despite them being held hostage by a loose cannon in Danny and a desperate Will torn between his brother and wanting to do the right thing.

What ties Ambulance together was its performances of Gyllenhaal, Mateen II, and González as Danny, Will, and Thompson. Gyllenhaal definitely understood the assignment and was an absolute delight to watch, playing the unhinged Danny. He looked to be having a blast in a role unlike what most are accustomed to. He and Mateen II as Will made for a fun dynamic as the latter helped balance out the other as a moral compass of sorts. Their chemistry sold their brother relationship as it got tested over the course of the film. However, González was the heart of the film and a grounding presence, holding her own as Thompson. 

Only Michael Bay can make something like Ambulance work. Fans of his are sure to have a good time but non-fans probably won’t change their minds after this one.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.