Ambulance had a simple plot but this being directed by Michael Bay, he makes it far longer than it needed to be, stretching it past two hours and making it less than riveting, not helped by the choppy editing and nausea-inducing drone shots.
Ambulance
(2022)
Genre(s): Action, Suspense/Thriller, Crime
Universal Pictures | R – 137 min. – $49.98 | June 14, 2022
Date Published: 06/14/2022 | Author: The Movieman
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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures were taken from the included Blu-ray disc.
THE MOVIE — 1¾/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Needing money to cover his wife’s medical bills, a decorated veteran (YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II) teams up with his adoptive brother (JAKE GYLLENHAAL) to steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank. However, when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate thieves hijack an ambulance that’s carrying a severely wounded cop and an EMT worker (EIZA GONZALEZ). Caught in a high-speed chase, the two siblings must figure out a way to outrun the law while keeping their hostages alive. Quick Hit Review: Ambulance is a movie that I thought I would love as, outside of the Transformers franchise, have generally been entertained by Michael Bay movies. While the plot is simple, for whatever reason Bay turned what should have been a 90-100 minute film into one that was over two hours long. As it turns out, the 2005 original Dutch version had a mere 80-minute running time. While the stunts were top notch as one would expect from a Bay film, with plenty cars being destroyed in the process, the storyline itself was spread thin and we get extraneous characters that added very little and could’ve been consolidated (like Garret Dillahunt’s SIS supervisor and Keir O’Donnell’s FBI agent), removing some really unnecessary scenes. Beyond that, the editing was a bit too frenetic and Bay utilizes some sweeping drone shots that honestly started making me nauseous.
In terms of the acting, everyone was fine I suppose. Jake Gyllenhaal plays psycho pretty well and is maybe the most fun aspect while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has his moments, however I never quite completely bought their brotherhood and thus really didn’t care about either of their outcomes. Eiza Gonzalez appears to fill the role that at one time would’ve gone to Megan Fox and really Gonzalez didn’t make much of an impression. Everyone else, like the aforementioned Garret Dillahunt and Keir O’Donnell, were expendable. The screenplay by Chris Fedak (feature film debut but was the creator behind Chuck and Prodigal Son) was pretty weak and the attempts at light-hearted humor fell flat each time, though not sure this was Fedak’s fault or that of some uncredited screenwriter(s), but the dialogue was fairly stilted as well.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 3½/5 |
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This release comes with a title-embossed slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. All features are available on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs. Not a whole lot here, total running time was just over 37-minutes. Bayhem (6:14) takes viewers behind the scenes into shooting the action sequences. Pedal to the Metal (9:34) — This featurette delves into shooting inside (and outside) an ambulance. Aerial Assault (5:08) focuses on the drone shots (which I personally hated). Finding Ambulance (5:34) — Pretty much a general behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews by Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen II and Gonzalez discussing their characters and plot. Chase Capital of the World (3:58) looks at filming in Los Angeles. A Tribute to First Responders (6:54) gives praise to EMTs and firefighters. |
4K VIDEO – 4¾/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO – 4½/5 |
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Universal releases Ambulance onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, presented in the original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160 and 1080p high-definition transfer respectively. The picture on the 4K, which is how I watched the entire movie with, looks great which is not a big surprise for a mid-sized, studio film. Detail is sharp and well defined throughout and colors, with some okay aid of the HDR (didn’t see a major difference when comparing to the Blu-ray), are nicely balanced. The natural film grain and noise is still present giving it some fine texture. |
AUDIO – 5/5 |
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The movie comes with a Dolby Atmos track which makes the most out of the numerous action sequences which has plenty of explosions and car crashes. Dialogue also comes across with good clarity mainly via the center channel with good depth for ambient noises such as at a pit stop in a chop shop. |
OVERALL — 3¾/5 |
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Ambulance had a simple plot but this being directed by Michael Bay, he makes it far longer than it needed to be, stretching it past two hours and making it less than riveting, not helped by the choppy editing and nausea-inducing drone shots. |