Review: Ambulance

Decorated soldier Yahya Abdul-Mateen II finds himself out of work at the worst possible time. His wife needs expensive medical care and they share an infant son. Where to turn? He goes to his brother Jake Gyllenhaal for a loan. Gyllenhaal is a bank robber, and when his desperate brother turns up, he’s in the middle of preparing for his latest heist when he’s a man short. Almost on the fly, well-meaning Abdul-Mateen II finds himself joining the crew, and it’s not long before the gig hits snag after snag and lives are lost. Eventually, the two (adopted) brothers end up commandeering the ambulance of paramedic Eiza Gonzalez, with an added complication of the wounded cop Jackson White who got shot during the heist also on board the vehicle. Meanwhile, the vehicle is pursued by L.A. police captain Garret Dillahunt and an FBI agent (Keir O’Donnell) who is familiar with one of the brothers from way back.

 

Until now, the only film from director Michael Bay that I’ve enjoyed – mildly – was “Pain & Gain”. Whether as producer or director his films tend to be loud, bloated, and dumb. “The Rock”, “Armageddon”, and especially “Bad Boys II” spring to mind as the most egregious of his celluloid excesses. I don’t suppose this 2022 remake of a 2005 Danish film is any different from the Bay norm except that I actually enjoyed it. It’s by far the best thing the man has done since directing the Divinyls’ ‘I Touch Myself’ video. By the way, does anyone else find it ironic that the pandemic arguably stymied the box-office intake of a film called “Ambulance”?

 

I’m not sure why Jake Gyllenhaal wanted to make a Michael Bay film, but here he is anyway and he’s one of the highlights. He may not seem immediately perfect casting but the “Nightcrawler” actor is clearly not miscast, either. A versatile actor, he plays this self-serving, single-minded a-hole criminal very well. What I like about him here is that the character – and performance – are somewhat edgy, possibly even sociopathic. Mixed with Gyllenhaal’s baby blues and boyish charm, it’s an interesting if not subtle mix. It’s a Michael Bay film, you’re not getting anywhere near subtlety here. I liked the bit where he complains about his cashmere jumper/sweater getting stained. Dude, you’re the one who turned up to a robbery in cashmere. I also liked how he manages to rope his poor, well-meaning buddy into a robbery almost on the fly. Not only is it funny, but it helps from a pacing point of view, too. Bay and the screenwriter take just enough time to set things up and introduce the main players and then it’s on with the show.

 

In smaller roles, long-serving character actor A. Martinez probably has perhaps his best role to date as an intimidating criminal boss named ‘Papi’, and Garret Dillahunt is always good value. Wait until you see the latter’s giant dog. You’ve gotta see it. Incredible. On the downside, Aussie actress Olivia Stambouliah is a constant irritation in the comic relief role of a horny, smart-arse police lieutenant. I liked that kinda role better in 1993’s “Lethal Weapon 3” with Delores Hall’s excitable armoured car driver.

 

The other big highlight here is actually Bay’s direction. That surprises me, because although Bay is known as an action director, I’ve never much cared for his direction of action. Here though, he does a damn fine job as both Bay and his cinematographer Roberto De Angelis (a camera operator who worked on “Baby Driver” among many other films) give us a visually dynamic style without shaking the hell out of the camera too much. I seem to be the only one who believes this – hell, I’m one of a chosen few who even like the film overall – but I’ve seen much worse over-indulgences with this type of thing elsewhere. It’s flashy without being a wank. I was highly sceptical that Bay could keep up the excitement and tension for two hours here, but he pulls it off…just. It’s tense as hell at times, though part of that is because some of the characters are likeable (notably Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez) and Jake Gyllenhaal provides a fine, slimeball villain. So perhaps Mr. Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Chris Fedak (creator of TV’s “Chuck”) deserve credit there (perhaps even the people behind the Danish original for that matter). Still, there’s no doubt that Bay is working at a higher level here, it’s an exciting, pulsating experience. For my money it’s got some of the best-directed action in years in any film not called “The Raid”. Meanwhile, people call the film dumb – and it’s not smart – but the scene where the paramedic has to perform surgery aided by golf-playing surgeons via Skype has to be intentionally funny. Absolutely disgusting, but funny. I also laughed at the bit involving a disarming use of a Christopher Cross song. Speaking of music, listen out for Bobby Womack’s cool cover of ‘California Dreamin’ as well.

 

A mixture of “Speed”, “Con Air”, and “Heat”, it’s the most 90s thing to come from 2022. Like Guy Ritchie’s “Wrath of Man”, I enjoyed it for the simplistic, muscular action-thriller throwback that it is. It’s not quite as good as that film (or “Con Air” for that matter), but it’s an enjoyable experience that (narrowly) manages to keep up the energy for two damn hours. It certainly blows the overrated and sluggish “Speed” out of the water in my view.

 

Rating: B-