AmbuLAnce (2022) Review

“These are the decisions that matter in life, so let me give you all the information before you decide.”

After spending a decade with the autobots, Michael Bay returned to the action genre with 6 Underground. Now he’s back with another, Ambulance. It was exciting to see, because if the script was good enough to nab Jake Gyllenhaal, then there would be more merit to this popcorn fare than the Bayhem typically has to offer.

Ambulance as it turns out is a remake of the 2005 Danish film, Ambulancen, and like any remake, it’s always concerning when an established foreign film is remade for American audiences — it rarely matches the quality of the original, much less exceeds it. For all his artistic flourishes, Bay can’t deliver on this film. The heist gone wrong has been tackled many times over, by better writers and filmmakers. Writer Chris Fedak lacks both the skill and the experience to deliver on this premise. In fact, it’s a surprise he is working because his script is laden with plot holes and irrationality. Even in the context of an action film that typically asks for a suspension of disbelief.

What’s supposed to be a high octane thrill ride amounts to an exhausting bore-fest, I nearly walked out at the 60-minute mark. While Bay delivers with practical explosions and is refreshing to see a film of this size use limited CGI, he also explored a dizzying camera pan that didn’t quite work as intended.

For all his talent, Gyllenhaal can’t save this film, but he carries it on his shoulders and is easily the highlight of the film. I suggest you honor the original by watching that instead, it can’t possibly be any worst.