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| Images courtesy Universal Pictures |
Leave your morals at the door, because Ambulance is here to make you root for the bad guys.
A post-Transformers Michael Bay is back in cinemas with his latest action spectacle. Coming three years after his Netflix release of 6 Underground, Bay relies on his well known smash ‘em up formula for over two hours of sheer mayhem and destruction. Returning to something that totally amplifies and pays tribute to the bygone era of heist movies, Ambulance is part Michael Mann’s Heat with a dose of Bad Boys mixed with Affleck’s The Town along with the mutually assured destruction of every car and vehicle in Los Angeles.
This is an unleashed, unrelenting big budget Michael Bay on speed, never letting his audience breathe for a single second. This is a cinematic roller coaster ride that’s carried by a great cast and fast cuts that keep the tension at a frenetic pace throughout. Ambulance is years of Bay perfecting his style and laying it out there in one gloriously hyperactive crime film that doesn’t come up for air.....ever.
Armed with the super talents of Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul Mateen II with Eiza Gonzalez serving as their backup player, Ambulance is pure cinematic fire as only Bay can do. Gunshots, explosions and vehicular destruction are the name of the game as Bay once again partners with Roberto De Angelis for some amazing cinematography as only they can do. Relying heavily on the same shooting style as they used in his Benghazi based military film 13 Hours, this one has all the glare, slow motion and amazing camera work we’d expect from Bay and company. Having a team of great actors to back up the rather mediocre script works to great effect especially when attempting to remake a Danish action film like this one.
Fortunately some script elements are extremely timely which will definitely help audiences connect with Mateen’s character and his familial struggles. Some little political nods also help move the script along. Gonzalez picks up where she left off with Baby Driver, becoming a full on star here as she’s finally given ample time to shine. And Gyllenhaal continues to show he’s not a one trick pony. He takes the creepiness and narcissistic personality of the central character well beyond previous roles this time, further cementing his place in the upper echelon of modern actors. His pure disregard for human life is so damned realistic here, it’s straight up bothersome but totally perfect for the sociopathic role he’s playing. He’s on an undeniable winning streak right now.
Leave realism at the door as this one takes its audience through the ringer. Nothing and no one is safe. That’s something that Bay has reveled in with all his R rated action films. Ambulance is another successful notch in his belt that shows off how impeccable his directing can be when he’s on point. Unlike the aforementioned 6 Underground, which was quite a mess, this week’s opening of Ambulance takes him further away from a war between Autobots and Decepticons, securing his spot as a visual master of action scenes and unflinching and morally ambiguous characters.
While Ambulance is no vision of perfection, this is easily his best film since Pain & Gain. If you've cared for any of his other non-Transformers movies, this is one to strap in for cause it's a hell of a ride.
-CG
