Director warhorse Michael Bay lets it rattle in the local cinema again, explodes and has discovered a fresh toy: drone cameras. “Ambulance” doesn’t get bogged down in the well-known US patriotism, but settles accounts with America in a tough manner while the action rains down on the viewers in a steady state. Our film review of “Ambulance”.
Michael Bay is fed up. From the eternal Hooray patriotism of his compatriots or today clearly as a failed romantic American Dream. Possibly deep bitterness about this is undoubtedly not to be seen in his latest work. Rather, the figures with all their characterizing facets allow such conclusions. Of course, it remains remarkable how Michael Bay managed to inflate a small Danish thriller, more like a chamber drama, into a breathless action riot that lasted 136 minutes. For him it’s simply a small return – after the rather unsuccessful trip to the streaming leader Netflix to unload the noisy lump “6 Underground” there, “Ambulance” fits perfectly into his classic filmography à la “Bad Boys” and “The Rock”. a. He recently made a name for himself because Bay and his production company Platinum Dunes are behind the socially critical “The Purge” series, among other things.
– © Universal Studios – © Universal Studios – © Universal Studios – Right at the beginning he takes us into the typically hectic everyday life of emergency paramedic Cam Thompson (Eiza González), who is considered the best, albeit most difficult colleague of her team, because on the one hand she professionally ensures the survival of injured patients, but on the other hand she looks at the job quite emotionally. While the appearance is secondary for a change, the film allows for a depth of character that unfortunately seems too obvious towards the end. Iraq veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is plagued by financial worries. His wife, who has cancer, and his young mother could make it through an experimental operation, but the army insurance won’t pay. For minutes he appealed to the generic hotline for the empathy of a numerically known employee – “I would like to speak to a person!” It says, for example. His criminal adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose father kept the police on his toes as a bank robber, could help, but suddenly everything happens pretty quickly. Danny is planning one last heist – he wants Will to come with him. Despite strong reservations, he agrees. But a cop in love thwarts the already poor plan, and after a violent exchange of gunfire, Will, Danny and Eiza, as well as the seriously injured cop, find themselves in the fleeing ambulance. This is followed by a breathtaking 100-minute chase through mostly sun-drenched Los Angeles, in which not only other vehicles but also passers-by are chased through side streets and more or less dangerous situations play out inside the ambulance. While the Danish original relied on black (verbal) humor for financial reasons, Bay lets it explode properly. Especially since his new passion is probably drone cameras – several times within a sequence he lets them twirl through the air, hover along house facades to stop fabulously in front of Jake Gyllenhaal’s face. He, in turn, plays his character “Danny” in a psychopathically amusing way. Screenwriter Chris Fedak tries to give it depth of content, which often fails due to missing anchor points. With “Will” as a suffering figure, on the other hand, this works noticeably better, since his terminally ill wife is a clearer motivation. A positive surprise is Eiza González, whose appearance doesn’t condition her dialogues with the robbers but is allowed to openly show fear, anger or empathy, which is not all that understandable given Michael Bay’s circumstances. The film was shot in America during the peak of the pandemic, but this is not at all apparent in the film. Rather, he gives no respite. Memories of “Dunkirk” are awakened, although the same intensity is never reached. As soon as Cam still has to perform an operation via smartphone, a strong stomach is required before the spleen ruptures completely. Thanks to FSK 16 approval, it is kept as good as possible. Ultimately, “Ambulance” remains Michael Bay’s most critical film. The American flag does not wave majestically but is photographed from below. Soldiers are mere pawns on a giant board. Anyone who wants something no longer waits, but inevitably gets it by force. If the ending wasn’t necessarily Hollywood-like, Bay could have set a small monument. ambulance USA 2022. Director: Michael Bay. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez. 136 minutes. FSK: From 16 years. Is there a post credit scene? = No. Many thanks to CinemaxX for kindly providing the ticket. Cinema tickets for “Ambulance” are available here. The products shown here are affiliate links, with a purchase you support my work. last update 17.02.2022 / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or one of its affiliates. –
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