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Plot Summary: Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.

Director: Michael Bay

Writer: Chris Fedak

Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes

Main Cast:

• Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny Sharp
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Will Sharp
• Eiza González as Cam Thompson
• Garret Dillahunt as Captain Monroe

Review by: Small Couch Reviews

If ‘big dumb action movie’ is a genre, then “Ambulance” from Michael Bay sits comfortably in it. This is a turn-off-your brain thrill ride of a movie, and it actually the most fun I’ve had in a Michael bay film in years.

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What I Liked:

This movie does a number of things well. First off, it does not waste time getting started. If you’ve seen the trailers, you are aware the plot involves a bank robbery gone wrong that forces two brothers to hijack an ambulance to escape. There is very little setup in the beginning- we find out that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s character, William, is a former soldier who now struggles with making ends meet and whose wife is in dire need of an expensive surgery. We are then rushed over to a meet up between Will and his estranged brother, Danny (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who is literally on his way out to rob the bank and tells Will to tag along in order to secure the funds he requires. This setup is admittedly ridiculous, but it gets us to the main plot inside of 20 minutes.

So, we then get to the actual chase in the ambulance which is phenomenal, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of the movie was inside the ambulance. This movie is basically a large chase with the bothers leading the police through the streets of Los Angeles. The driving scenes and of course, the explosions are exciting enough; but, adding to the thrill are the ambulance’s passengers/hostages. There is a unconscious cop (played by Jackson White) who was injured during the robbery, and the EMT (played by Eiza Gonzalez) who trying to keep him alive. Eiza Gonzalez’s Cam is sort of the audience character in this movie. It is through her interaction with the brothers that we learn about them and their past (that combined with some pretty useless flashbacks). I am happy to report that Cam actually has a compelling character arc (probably the best), and isn’t just the obligatory pretty face in an action movie. She holds her own as a main character, and Gonzalez does a great job of portraying her- she faces a conflict in the later part of the film and you can just feel the emotional turmoil within her.

The other great thing about this film is the amazing chemistry between Abdul Mateen II and Gyllenhaal. They actually seem like brothers, and it’s not just because of something like them saying they’d die for each other (even though this is clearly shown), but it’s more because of the little things. There are quips and inside jokes all throughout the movie that fells like it was conceived by these two in real life when hanging out off-set. Gyllenhaal is the eccentric one- constantly making jokes – while Abdul Mateen II is more serious trying to keep the crazy situation from becoming even more crazy. It’s an interesting dynamic between the two, and sets up some great moments. We spend the most time in the movie with Will and Danny in the ambulance, and it does not disappoint.

What I Didn’t Like:

If you use my brain this section would be very long, but you can’t do that in a movie like this. It is very Michael Bay, like seriously. So if you like his style you will like this, and if you don’t then you’ll likely hate this.

Having said that, there are a few things that even a turned-off brain can’t ignore.

For one, there are WAY TOO MANY bad drivers in this film. It’s crazy, and distracting, how many different police cars crash for no reason. There are cars flipping and exploding in the background nowhere near the ambulance. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but it’s a level of unbelievability that is noticeable so I wanted to point it out.

The other thing that’s a glaring weakness of this movie is the entire setup. I praised it for being quick, but that does not mean it was good. These have to be the dumbest bank robbers on the planet. We learn that Danny has planned the robbery 38 banks prior, and it’s obvious why he’s not rich yet. From the jump you’ll be wondering why these robbers aren’t wearing masks, or why they’re using real names, or why they’re walking near windows -in sight of the outside world -with guns out. Even before that you will wonder what their actual plan was. We know it couldn’t be done without Will, but we also know he didn’t agree to do it until just before it was time to go…so what if he said no?

There’s a lot of these moments in the movie where logic doesn’t seem to exist, but it’s not so glaring (like F9’s cars in space) that it ruins the film.