Ambulance (2022)
A cracking action thriller and return to his prior Bad Boys (1995) and The Rock (1996) form for director Michael Bay.
The film sees bank robbers Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II steal an ambulance in the aftermath of a bank job that goes wrong thanks to it turning into a gun fight on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles (Think that classic shoot out in Heat (1995) as a reference point). The resulting two hours is one long ambulance chase as the two make off through LA along with a paramedic (Eiza González) and a shot up cop as hostages as the LAPD, FBI and SWAT hunt them down.
Hugely enjoyable with some excellent action sequences not to mention some white knuckle tension which really grips. One sequence in which the ambulance is chased down the LA river system was brilliantly done with Gyllenhaal hanging off the side of the vehicle as Mateen II drove. Due to Covid restrictions and practically Guerilla filming techniques it meant the actors did many of their own stunts making these sequences more realistic.
At the time Bay called this a small film made during Covid. I'm not really sure Bay knows what a small film really is because Ambulance is non-stop action in the vein of the Jan De Bont nineties classic Speed.
Really enjoyable.
|