Ambulance

 

Ambulance Review: War veteran William Sharp (Yahya Abdul Matine II),  who needs money for his wife's medical expenses, asks his brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) for help. However, Danny is a bank thief on the verge of massive robbery, and he persuades Will to help him with his work. I reluctantly agree, but when the robbery fails after the patrol officer is shot, he gets more than he signed up. Surrounded by police officers, the brothers were forced to hijack an ambulance carrying rescuer Kam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez) and a seriously injured police officer. In addition to trying to escape, the brothers now have to keep their hostages alive. In this character-driven, action-packed drama written by Chris Fedak, "Speed" and "Bad Boys" meet in a "heat" pinch. Based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name, Michael Bay shines on his trademark  blockbuster film. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul Matine II are talented performers who give enough justice to the characters Danny and Will. The brothers are well developed before their plans fail. Bay knows one or two things about car chase and  keeps suspense at maximum. Even if the action slows down at the moment of the character, there is always a sense of anxiety. 

 This works well for most movies. However, the director's apparent tendency towards jerky camera movements and choppy editing is often distracting. The over-the-top visual dynamics of his previous work have been scaled down here, but Bay hasn't yet shown the necessary restraints on subtle fares. Ironically,  emotional scenes, including Will, Danny, and Cam, are far more influential than all large shootouts. "Ambulance" should have been able to create a first-class action drama by combining its fascinating premise with the fascinating performance of everyone involved. But that's not enough because Michael Bay can't get past his signature style.