Michael Bay at Ambulance Film PremiereAndreas Gora/DDP/INSTARimages.co
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Kevin Pantoja
Published 14 minutes ago
Kevin Pantoja is a writer and editor at Screen Rant based in New York City, where he brings deep expertise in blockbuster franchises ranging from Harry Potter and Spider‑Man to Succession and the MCU. A passionate storyteller with a creative writing degree (Valedictorian, Full Sail University), Kevin blends entertainment news, feature essays, and pop‑culture commentary into engaging, audience-first content
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When people think of Michael Bay, their minds likely go to the Bad Boys and Transformers franchises that he was at the forefront of, for better or for worse. If not, they'll likely think of his biggest films, including Armageddon and The Rock.
Most people won't really consider his most recent work, which includes a hidden gem that is actually the director's quiet masterpiece. This is a movie that disappointed at the box office, yet those who saw it can appreciate that it delivers everything you could want from a Michael Bay project.
Ambulance Is Michael Bay At His Best
That hidden gem masterpiece is the 2022 action thriller Ambulance. A remake of a 2005 Danish film of the same name, it centers on two adoptive brothers who hijack an ambulance after a robbery and, in the process, take both a police officer and a paramedic as their hostages.
The premise lends itself to a high-octane, somewhat contained thriller, which is why it's actually Michael Bay at his best. The filmmaker is known for his explosive movies, packed with action and intense sequences, often at the expense of things like character development and deeper storytelling.
Ambulance is a straightforward story, meaning the action can be front and center. Bay's direction was one of the high points of this well-received film, as he keeps the energy up throughout the two-hour runtime and isn't allowed to get bogged down by explaining lore or an overly complicated screenplay.
If you like Michael Bay movies, this is basically him at the peak of his skills.
Ambulance Has A Great Cast
Eiza Gonzalez as Cam Thompson in the back of an ambulance in Ambulance
If there's one thing besides great action that Michael Bay movies share, it's usually a strong cast and Ambulance is no different. The adoptive brothers at the forefront are portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal, who spend the entire movie playing well off each other. You completely believe that these are two people with a long, close history.
The other star of the cast is Eiza González, one of Hollywood's more underrated actors. Her work in the likes of Baby Driver and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfarehas been severely overlooked. She does her job perfectly here, bringing the needed heart and sympathy to the story, helping Mateen II's Will realize what they're doing.
While they are the only three actors with major roles, all three work expertly together and bring so much to their respective roles. The supporting cast, including Moses Ingram and Garret Dillahunt, are also strong.
Unfortunately, Ambulance Underperformed Commercially
Alas, most people didn't seem to give Ambulance the chance it deserves. The film might be the perfect amount of Michael Bay ever put to the screen but it only grossed $52.3 million on a budget of $40 million, making it a commercial flop. There was a time when Bay was a box office king but that era has passed
The poor reception to the last few Transformers movies and his Netflix film 6 Underground may have had something to do with that. Regardless of why Ambulance failed, it has found new life on streaming. People have given it a chance and it has become a hit on streaming, with more people seeing that it's indeed Bay at his best.
7.3/10
6/10
Ambulance
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R Drama Crime Action Release Date April 8, 2022 Runtime 136 minutes Director Michael Bay Writers Chris FedakCast
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