Miss Flicks

Ambulance: Film Review

When you think of Michael Bay movies, you think of explosions, high-octane car chases and lots of gunfire. You can’t accuse the man of being inconsistent because that’s exactly what you get with his latest movie Ambulance.

The film follows Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who goes to his estranged adopted brother, career criminal Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), for a loan to cover his wife’s health insurance. Danny refuses to just hand over the cash and offers Will the opportunity to earn much more by getting involved in his latest bank heist. When the job goes awry, the brothers hijack an ambulance with a paramedic named Cam (Eiza Gonzalez) and her patient inside.

The film is ridiculous (as you can tell from that premise!) but it sounded quite fun. It would have been more entertaining if Bay didn’t make it way longer than it had any right to be. A concept like this should have been like 90-100 minutes, not 136. Surely they’d get caught right away, you might think? Well no, to stretch the film out, the police and feds make stupid mistake after stupid mistake so the car chase can carry on going. There are moments when it was thrilling and intense but there were others when I felt bored, confused and/or ready for it to end.

I didn’t completely hate it though. I liked Gonzalez and Abdul-Mateen II’s characters; they had some softness and humanity in a world of yelling, gun-toting men. There were some laugh-out-loud moments too, although some were intentional jokes and others were funny because they were so stupid.

The camerawork is busy, chaotic and dynamic. The camera is always moving; there are hardly any static shots to give our eyes a moment to rest. I understand that it helps drum up the intensity and reflect how messy the situation is but it was too much. There were a couple of times towards the end that I had to close my eyes for a second to give myself a break as the constant movement was overwhelming my brain. That being said, there are some very creative shots at times, with drones swooping up and down the sides of buildings and flying through small gaps.

When you think of Gyllenhaal, you think of his impressive, nuanced acting work. You aren’t going to see that here. He is a bad guy and all he does throughout his film is yell and be stressed out. I’m surprised he wanted to do a Bay film considering what he’s capable of (goes for the others too) but I’m guessing he wanted to have some fun. Abdul-Mateen II and Gonzalez play the characters you root for as they’re both caught up in a situation they don’t deserve to be in. Will is a caring, decent husband and father and Cam is a very capable and smart EMT.

If you want a loud, chaotic and bizarrely edited blockbuster or are a fan of Bay’s work then Ambulance is right up your street – otherwise, stay well away. Make sure you leave your brain at the door!

In cinemas from Friday 25th March