(2022) Ambulance - Enjoyable and Intense Michael Bay's Action Movie

I've caught a glimpse of this movie's trailer a while back which seemed to promise lots of action and with the name of Michael Bay as the director, made me quite excited. But as the 3rd wave of the pandemic hit Indonesia in the past few weeks, I was skeptical if I would get the chance to see it in the cinema. Fortunately, the situation seemed to be better swiftly so my wife and I had the courage to go to theaters since last week. Although it was certainly helped by the fact that not a lot of audience dared to see movies in cinemas yet. Anyway, let's get on with this.

Brief Story Line

Will (Yahya Abdul Mateen II - The Matrix Resurrections, The Greatest Showman etc) was a war veteran who was having financial problem. He sought the help from his adoptive brother Danny (The Guilty, Brokeback Mountain etc) who suggested him to join his crew in robbing a bank.

Meanwhile Cam (Eiza González - Godzilla vs Kong, I Care a Lot etc) was working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in an ambulance which somehow got caught up in the middle of the robbery that gone wrong.

So how would the story conclude? Find out on this full action movie.

End of Brief Story Line

Once again my wife and I were captivated by another one of Michael Bay's explosive action movie. Regardless of what people say about his works but both of us were mostly entertained by his films which usually translate to various car chases and violent gun fights with awesomely crafted action sequence. This time the focus was on the suspenseful robbery on broad day light and the high intensity of police chase all over Los Angeles.

The main characters of this movie were Will and Danny who were like real brothers and their close relationship was shown through brief flash back scenes which seemed simple but gave the desired effect. Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal's onscreen chemistry were quite convincing with more than once we saw their strong brotherly love. They actually made me sympathized them despite being bank robbers. There was one particular scene involving airpod which actually brighten up our mood during the unlikeliest time. 

Aside from them and Eiza González, there were surprisingly plenty of support cast like Garret Dillahunt (Army of the Dead, Raising Hope TV series etc) in an unfamiliar role (at least for me) as police Captain Monroe and Keir O'Donnel (Paul Blart: Mall Cop etc) as FBI Agent Anson Clark. There was also the appearance of Moses Ingram (Queen's Gambit mini series etc) as Will's wife Amy and Colin Woodell (The Flight Attendant TV series etc) as Cam's partner EMT Scott and several other additional characters.

For a movie that has duration of 136 minutes, this one did not start as brightly as I would expect, but it did not take very long to get to the interesting part. And from that moment onwards, it was full intensity till the end. This movie was so intense that my wife did not even had the chance to glance at her mobile phone. Btw, the closing credit was quite short and it did not have any mid or post end credit scene. I did see that it was based on movie of the same title which after some digging, I found out it was a 2005 Danish film directed by Laurits Munch-Petersen that won and was nominated for few awards. Since I did not see that movie, I am unable to give proper comparison, but I do not think this remake will be nominated for any awards as critics generally were not really into Michael Bay's works. 

I really like the way the chase was done during daylight which made the action really clear to see. As usual, Bay's distinct directing style was really apparent like the slow motion at certain moments, added with background music that lift the mood or provide a bit of emotional moment at the right time. Oh, I also think there was a bit of change in style here like the very close up shot at the characters or the view from top of building that quickly went down to the street (which my wife quite enjoyed). Even though sometimes the police looked like they were not the best team and the way the chase was disturbed due to one seemingly ridiculous reason, but in general it was really entertaining.

Overall this was a really fun movie for those seeking intense moment. It was a film that action lovers would enjoy. No overly complicated story to understand, just a simple robbery gone wrong with plenty of cars "flying" around and lots of gun fights with some spectacularly done action scenes. The cool Dolby Surround 7.1 system in the theater also made it more enjoyable. So if you are into such attributes, then this one would be perfect for you. Oh this movie will only be released in US theaters on 8 April, which meant that Indonesian would have the chance to see it way earlier than the US audience. 

Happy watching!

Mike's movie moments rating: 4 out of 5 stars