Film Review: “Ambulance” (2022)

A 2-hour GTA Heist Mission

As I have stated in my review for “The Lost City”, our current theatrical landscape has had a diversity problem for quite some time. Not one in terms of race, gender, or creed but, in terms of film selection. The only two kinds of films that seem to do well at the Box Office are either $100 Million Superhero tentpoles or any IP being resuscitated for some cheap nostalgia bucks. I don’t have anything against these films: I enjoy The MCU and I loved the last “Scream” movie that came out. However, mid-budget films that are not based on intellectual properties seem to be far less common nowadays, unless you factor in streaming services such as Netflix or HBO Max. Half the time, many people seem to lament the existence/success of the MCU without offering any sort of practical solution to the problem.

However, in 2022, a solution to our theatrical diversity problem has come in the form of a film directed by none other than Michael Bay. Granted, Bay gets a lot of shit for his “Transformers” franchise but, Bay’s got a pretty interesting resume: “Bad Boys”, “The Rock”, and “Armageddon”. Interesting, however, doesn’t always translate to good. I’m not a Bay-hater by any means but, I’m gonna be honest: The only good “Transformers” film was the one he didn’t direct, 2018’s “Bumblebee”. I did enjoy his “Bad Boys” films and “Armageddon” but, aside from “The Rock”, Bay’s filmography has ranged from merely passable to entertaining action garbage to the beginning of Mark Wahlberg’s flop era. However, upon seeing the trailer for his latest film, “Ambulance”, I was both surprised and intrigued. Unlike most of Michael Bay’s films, this one seems to have a more grounded and mature scope. Sure, the concept definitely sounds like it was written by a 14-year-old who spends his days after school playing “GTA V” but, the film seems to be taking itself (in a good way) fairly seriously.

With his wife’s medical bills proving to be incredibly costly, A decorated veteran (Yahya-Abdul Mateen II, “Candyman”) goes to his adoptive brother, a career criminal (Jake Gyllenhaal, “Spider-Man: Far From Home”) for help. The two team up to rob a bank in Los Angeles of $32 million and everything goes to plan until their plan starts to fall apart. In a last-ditch effort to get away, both brothers hijack an ambulance…