Ambulance - Film Review

Ambulance - Film Review

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Posted 2025-01-22 by PerthKelfollow
Ambulance, directed by Michael Bay and released in 2022, is a high-octane action thriller that blends intense car chases, rapid-fire editing, and a complex web of character dynamics within a single day of chaos. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González and is based on a 2005 Danish film of the same name. True to Bay’s style, Ambulance is filled with explosive action, daring stunts, and technical prowess, but it also digs into deeper themes of family, loyalty, and moral ambiguity amid desperate circumstances.

The movie centres on two brothers, Danny (Gyllenhaal) and Will Sharp (Abdul-Mateen II), whose lives have taken drastically different paths but converge in a time of crisis. Will, a former Marine, faces financial difficulties as he tries to support his family and cover the mounting medical bills for his wife’s critical illness. In desperation, he turns to his adopted brother, Danny, for help. Danny, however, is deeply entrenched in a life of crime, running high-stakes bank heists and other illegal operations. When Will asks Danny for a loan, Danny offers him something far more dangerous: a chance to participate in a $32 million bank heist.

Despite his reservations, Will agrees, motivated by a mix of loyalty to Danny and the dire need to help his wife. The heist, however, quickly spirals out of control, resulting in a shootout with the police and forcing the brothers to hijack an ambulance to escape. In a twist, the ambulance they take contains two hostages: an EMT named Cam Thompson (Eiza González), and a gravely injured police officer. The presence of these two hostages complicates the situation and sets up a series of moral and ethical dilemmas as the brothers try to evade the authorities.

Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II): Will is portrayed as a man caught between a rock and a hard place, torn between his sense of honour as a former soldier and his desperation to provide for his family. Unlike his brother, he has tried to live an honest life, but his circumstances push him toward the brink. Will’s internal conflict is central to the film, as he wrestles with the ethics of his actions and his loyalty to his family. His relationship with Danny is complex, characterized by a mixture of love, resentment, and a lingering sense of debt for past kindnesses. Throughout the movie, Will’s primary motivation is his family, and this drive is tested as the heist unravels and the situation becomes increasingly chaotic.

Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal): Danny is the opposite of his brother in many ways: he is impulsive, reckless, and willing to cross moral boundaries without hesitation. He embodies the archetype of the charismatic but morally ambiguous criminal, whose love for his brother is genuine but is also tinged with manipulation. Danny’s motivations are primarily self-centred, as he sees the heist as just another job and a way to maintain his lifestyle. However, his love for Will is complex, and while he leads his brother into dangerous territory, he also tries to protect him in his own flawed way. Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of Danny brings an intense and unpredictable energy to the film, keeping viewers on edge as they try to predict his next move.

Cam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez): Cam, the EMT, is the film’s grounding force, embodying the moral centre in a world of corruption and crime. Her primary goal is to save lives, and she is initially focused on keeping the injured police officer stable. However, as she becomes a hostage, her perspective shifts, and she finds herself negotiating between her duty as an EMT and her survival instincts. Cam’s presence also adds an additional layer of tension to the narrative, as her fate becomes intertwined with that of the brothers. Through her character, the film explores the ethical boundaries of caregiving and what happens when someone is forced to choose between helping others and protecting themselves.

One of the major themes in Ambulance is the concept of family loyalty and the lengths people are willing to go to protect those they love. Will’s decision to participate in the heist, despite his better judgment, speaks to the powerful hold that family bonds can have, even when they lead individuals down a destructive path. The relationship between Danny and Will is fraught with unresolved tensions and reflects the complicated nature of sibling loyalty, especially when one sibling acts as a negative influence.

The film also explores themes of survival and desperation, particularly within an urban environment where characters are often pitted against each other. Los Angeles itself becomes almost a character in the film, with its winding freeways, towering skyscrapers, and gritty streets serving as a maze that both traps and facilitates the characters’ escape attempts. The relentless pursuit through the city underscores the themes of entrapment and the high stakes of trying to escape one’s circumstances.

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Another recurring theme is the ethical ambiguity of law enforcement and crime. While the brothers are technically the “villains” in the heist, they are portrayed with enough empathy to blur the line between hero and antagonist. Similarly, the police in the film are not monolithic; some officers are depicted as ruthless in their pursuit, while others show compassion. This complexity allows the audience to question the black-and-white morality often associated with police-chase films and consider the personal motivations and backgrounds that influence individual actions.

Michael Bay’s directorial style is on full display in Ambulance, with his signature kinetic energy, fast cuts, and explosive set pieces. Bay’s action sequences are high-stakes and meticulously choreographed, creating a visceral experience that mirrors the chaos of the plot. The movie’s relentless pace is punctuated by intense moments of calm, where the characters’ personal struggles and emotional states come to the fore.

Bay employs a range of visual techniques to heighten the tension, including dynamic drone shots, which give the film a sweeping, almost omniscient perspective of the cityscape and action scenes. This aerial perspective reinforces the film’s theme of entrapment, as the viewer is constantly reminded of how large and intricate the city is, yet how closed-off the characters’ options are. These drone shots are juxtaposed with close-up shots that capture the characters’ emotional states and convey a sense of claustrophobia within the confined space of the ambulance.

The ambulance itself serves as a symbolic vehicle for the characters’ journey. As the brothers careen through Los Angeles in the stolen ambulance, they are both literally and metaphorically trapped within their decisions. The confined space of the ambulance amplifies the tension and forces the characters into intimate proximity, creating a pressure-cooker environment that brings out raw emotions, confessions, and confrontations. The ambulance is both a sanctuary and a prison, representing the thin line between life and death, as well as the moral confines the characters grapple with.

The cast performances are a major highlight of the film. Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of Danny captures the manic energy of a career criminal on the edge, and his chemistry with Abdul-Mateen, who brings a grounded and sympathetic presence to Will, anchors the film. Their interactions are charged with unspoken history and shared pain, adding emotional depth to the otherwise action-heavy narrative. González’s performance as Cam is also noteworthy; her character serves as the viewer’s emotional entry point, and she successfully conveys a mix of fear, resilience, and professional detachment.

Ambulance received mixed-to-positive reviews, with many critics praising the performances and the film’s intense pacing but critiquing its lack of depth in some areas. While Bay’s action scenes are masterfully executed, some critics felt that the film prioritized spectacle over substance, particularly in the exploration of its moral themes. However, others argued that Ambulance achieves a balance between being an action-packed thriller and a character-driven drama, pointing out that the film’s more reflective moments provide a breather from the high-paced action.

Fans of Bay’s style appreciated his unapologetic approach to action, noting that the film is a return to form for the director after previous experiments in other genres. Viewers looking for a film with complex moral dilemmas and character development found something to appreciate as well, though some felt the film’s attempts at deeper themes were somewhat overshadowed by the sheer intensity of the action.

While Ambulance may not be ground-breaking in terms of storytelling, it is an example of how action cinema can explore ethical dilemmas and character development within the confines of a high-stakes, real-time thriller. Bay’s direction and the film’s setting in Los Angeles also contribute to a sense of gritty urban realism, a rarity in mainstream action films that tend toward the fantastical. In Ambulance, Bay showcases his skill for turning a familiar city into an adrenaline-fueled landscape, reminding audiences of the raw energy that can be achieved in well-executed action cinema.

In conclusion, Ambulance is more than just a simple heist movie; it is a study of family loyalty, survival, and moral compromise under pressure. By confining much of the action to a single vehicle, Bay captures the claustrophobic intensity of desperation and forces his characters to confront their choices head-on. The performances by Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen, and González bring emotional weight to the film, making it a thriller that balances explosive action with the underlying humanity of its characters. Whether viewed as a pure adrenaline rush or a tale of complex loyalties, Ambulance stands out as a uniquely intense addition to the modern action genre.

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301532 - 2025-01-20 06:10:36

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