No Surrender Cinema: Ambulance (2022)
It’s Actionversary month here at Bulletproof Action, and there’s no way I could let this month go by without letting the No Surrender Cinema spotlight shine on the man responsible for some of the most overblown, bombastic, and expensive action to ever grace Hollywood. The one and only Michael Bay is back, and he’s found a new vehicle to center his brand of high-octane action around. It’s time to hit the lights and sound the sirens, because we’re going to ride along with Jake Gyllenhaal in Ambulance!
Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is in a tight spot both emotionally and financially. The war veteran is having a hard time making ends meet, and it’s compounded by his wife’s need for surgery. With nowhere else to turn, Will turns to his adoptive brother, Danny, (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is into some shady dealings that have enabled him to build a life of luxury. It’s explained several times in Ambulance that their father was also a criminal, and while Will entered the service to escape falling into those same bad habits, Danny has taken the old man’s lead and has done so with gusto. Sensing Will’s desperation, Danny makes the case for Will to join him on his latest heist, a bank robbery that will net them $32 million that they’ll split with the rest of Danny’s crew. Will is reluctant to go that route, and Danny’s guys don’t seem keen on having Will along for the ride, but Danny stands up for his brother. Will eventually relents due to his lack of legitimate options, and Danny’s grand plan is put into motion with Will joining his heist crew.
Though Danny’s crew has done this before, the whole bunch seem more like the Island of Misfit Toys than a well-oiled machine. In fact Will, the most reluctant member of the group, appears to be the only one besides Danny trying to keep things together. Of course, the bottom falls out on Danny’s grand plan when a rookie cop decides that today has to be the day that he asks out the cute teller that caught his eye recently. He arrives at the bank (with his partner waiting outside) just as the crew is robbing the place, and even with Danny posing as the bank manager and playing it cool the cop realizes the situation he’s just stepped in. Bullets begin flying, cops and robbers alike are both struck down by the gunfire, and Will and Danny are left scrambling for a way out. This is definitely not what Will wanted to get wrapped up in, and his bad luck continues when he tries to break up a fight between Danny and rookie cop Zach, only to shoot Zack in error. Things have gone from bad to worse for the brothers, but their lucky break comes when they’re able to hijack an ambulance and escape…an ambulance that contains jaded EMT Cam (Eiza Gonzalez) and the cop that Will just shot.
When we’re first introduced to Cam at the beginning of Ambulance, she’s shown to be a cut and dry, by the book EMT. Show no emotion, do the job you need to do, and call it a day. Becoming a hostage for two bank robbers, at least one of whom has a conscience, isn’t something she’s going to let happen to herself, but Zach’s worsening condition relegates her to that status. Bound to her promise to “do the job”, she spends the next chunk of runtime confined to the back of the ambulance trying to keep him alive while simultaneously warding off Danny’s psychopathy. On top of that, Danny and Will’s brotherly bond begins to deteriorate as they (well, mainly Danny) try to figure a way out of this situation. Once the cops realize that the pair have taken off in the ambulance, a “very expensive car chase” ensues. That’s the exact quote from one of the characters in the film, a nice little slice of meta-humor from Bay, who built his name on high-speed, smash-mouth excess. I for one appreciated how they stuck that line in there, just as much as I liked an earlier meta-reference where Zach’s partner quotes The Rock (the 1996 film directed by Bay) and the young officer mistakes it as a reference to the pro wrestler of the same name.
As the ambulance speeds through the streets of LA, we bear witness of a series of events that feel like they were plucked right out of Grand Theft Auto. Danny calls in a favor from one of his father’s old associates, the leader of a Latino gang. One of Danny’s guys gets called in to paint the ambulance blue, with the hope that it will be enough to give them cover and help them escape. Much like the robbery that got them in this predicament, nothing goes as planned. The gangbangers cause more bloodshed with the cops, and the son of the leader winds up dead thanks to Zach’s partner. Danny’s underling brings neon green paint instead of blue, making their getaway vehicle even more conspicuous instead of less. The Latinos turn on Will and Danny, forcing their hands into another shootout that they escape by the skin of their teeth. The greatest threat, though, is the conflict that heats up between the brothers. Will wants to do the right thing, whatever that is at this point, while Danny doesn’t care about all of the casualties and collateral damage. Cam seems to see the good in Will, even sparing the brother’s from death by sniper by warning them ahead of time. By the time we get to the climax of Ambulance we’ve got four major characters who have been fighting for their respective survival however they can, but not everyone in that vehicle is going to make it to the end credits.
Ambulance may not be the summer blockbuster with the jumbo-sized budget that Bay is known for (the film’s budget was only $40 million and it came and went at theaters before landing on Peacock), and if I’m honest I felt like it was lacking in the usual Bay bravado. Bay’s previous films like Bad Boys and the Transformers franchise were filled with copious amounts of explosions and gunfire, and done with such gusto that it became Bay’s calling card in Hollywood. Ambulance does not suffer from a lack of sensationalistic action, but at times it feels like it’s a character driven drama with the action set pieces as nothing more than a backdrop to Danny and Will’s deteriorating relationship. In fact, one of the high points (for me at least) was the scene where the two brothers stop fighting and continue to elude police while singing along to Christopher Cross’ soft rock hit “Sailing”. How can you not love two guys who were at each other’s throats moments before, with a bleeding cop in the back of the vehicle, belting out an adult contemporary classic at the top of their lungs?
Acting-wise, everyone is serviceable in their roles, but it’s safe to say this is The Gyllenhaal Show. He chews through the scenery the way Taz would chew through something on Looney Tunes and is almost Joker-ish with the way he deals with his circumstances. The character of Cam is not your normal damsel in distress, and though Gonzalez is quite attractive she’s never objectified. In fact, in a departure from most of Bay’s previous films, there isn’t a woman in Ambulance that’s there to be sexualized. The focus is always on Will’s attempt to help his family, and the never-ending chaos his choice to help his brother has created.
If you’re looking for a callback to the breezy action films of yesteryear, the ones with just enough plot to hold all the action together, then Ambulance is the film for you. It’s certainly not Bay’s worst film (the man is responsible for the Transformers franchise, after all) but I’ll be honest, I had forgotten all about it until recently, and that’s even after I had seen the trailer multiple times in the theater and on TV. I’m glad I came across it, and it definitely didn’t feel like as long as the 136 minutes that it’s listed at. Though the action wasn’t as overboard as Bay’s previous efforts, I don’t think viewers will feel shortchanged. Ambulance feels like the Cliff’s Notes version of Bay’s filmography, a love letter to the mainstream action films of the late 90’s, and it’s worth opening up the Peacock app to check it out.
