Writer: Chris Fedak
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez, and Garrett Dillahunt
After a poorly planned bank heist goes belly up, brothers Ben and Will Sharp find themselves locked in a high-speed chase with the FBI and the notorious LAPD. Having high jacked an ambulance and taken a wounded officer and EMT hostage, the duo must navigate the treacherous LA traffic to evade the law and escape capture.
The film for the most part is one big high-speed chase. The adrenalin rush is tempered by equal parts, romantic drama, medical drama, and comedy to add substance to this wild urban adventure. The main characters are adoptive brothers with a checkered past who link up for one final score. Yahya Abdul Mateen II is Will Sharp, a former marine and family man who desperately needs funding for his wife’s cancer surgery. The film begins with a glimpse of his circumstances as he makes pleas with his insurance company to help his ailing wife. Jake Gyllenhaal is the villainous Ben, who lives a much more fast-paced lifestyle full of fast cars and the occasional caper. Under his charming façade, he is a psychotic con man whose chronic narcissism leads to destruction. While Will is a reluctant participant with a noble cause Ben is a careless opportunist who orchestrates the robbery using a rag-tag bunch of amateur henchmen. One of which cockily insisted on wearing Birkenstocks only to have his legs crushed by the getaway car.
Though a fun enjoyable film it is riddled with clichés and common troupes. As expected, the Marine is the consummate hero of this piece, going above and beyond despite the horrendous circumstances he finds himself under. He’s a bad guy with a heart of gold, clinging to every ounce of goodness left in him. Ben is a lifetime criminal, he is a ruthless psycho with only one soft spot, his brother. Gyllenhaal is incredibly entertaining as the off-the-wall Ben. His villainy is almost cartoonish, comparable to a comic villain. He is at once arrogant and hilarious with the ability to turn into a manic murderer in a split second. Mateen II and Gyllenhaal have an easy chemistry that is fun to watch and the most entertaining aspect of this film. No action movie is complete without a pretty but tough lady. Eiza Gonzalez fulfills that role as the fiery EMT, Cam a no-nonsense fighter who never lets anyone get too close. She doesn’t fall for either brother, one is happily married and the other a psychopath that would use her as a human shield if he had to. She may not be the love interest but she does somehow manage to help her captors and the cops simultaneously. Ambulance is a funny, thrilling caper with a twisted but satisfying ending.