Ambulance
Universal Pictures | Release Date: April 8, 2022
5.5
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 131 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
45
Mixed:
55
Negative:
31
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
GemsicleApr 11, 2022
Not a fan of Michael Bay, but "Ambulance" was able to "aid" his career by a smidge with enough swathes to make the film reception proof of backlash in the slightest but the incohesive characters left the function disemboweled.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
DunkaccinoSep 17, 2022
The sequences are preposterous, and the people involved knows that. At least Gyllenhaal does, because he overacts in a way that's self aware. Often scenes are laughable. Is it intentional? Some of them are. Other ones are just writer ChrisThe sequences are preposterous, and the people involved knows that. At least Gyllenhaal does, because he overacts in a way that's self aware. Often scenes are laughable. Is it intentional? Some of them are. Other ones are just writer Chris Fedak being clueless.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
AmateurfilmVWRSep 1, 2022
Why is noone talking about the fact that this entire situation could have been avoided if the United States had Universal Healthcare?!?
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
RalfbergsJun 20, 2022
I am quite surprised at the high ratings it has, but for me the plot just got a little too silly at times and while the beginning maybe was intriguing, later also dialogue got more cheesy and cheesy. The action in it of course is good and ifI am quite surprised at the high ratings it has, but for me the plot just got a little too silly at times and while the beginning maybe was intriguing, later also dialogue got more cheesy and cheesy. The action in it of course is good and if you like Michael Bay movies you will enjoy this one too… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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6
HealingToolboxApr 11, 2022
Made by and for adrenaline junkies. If that's you, knock yourself out for 136 minutes. You'll feel like you spent a week in the Ukraine war on the ground, as a civilian, facing gunfire from both sides. Matt Belloni asked a question on this.Made by and for adrenaline junkies. If that's you, knock yourself out for 136 minutes. You'll feel like you spent a week in the Ukraine war on the ground, as a civilian, facing gunfire from both sides. Matt Belloni asked a question on this. If Ambulance did not break into double digit millions on its US opening weekend (it did not) could this be the end of the Bay mystique (outside of the Transformers franchise)? Yup, it seems.
I believe if you are tired of boys with toys fighting unnecessary real wars, you are also tired of boys with toys fighting fake, pointless wars on screen.
What surprised me was how unnecessarily long it is. Ten minutes of long shots of cars driving and screeching could easily have been cut out. Establishing shots wern't needed; it takes place within two square miles. If Bay was asking audiences, "Do you still like violent, amoral shoot-em-ups with no learning and few redeeming aspects?" I believe the answer is, "No, we've had enuf." Redeeming aspects? Eiza Gonzalez, she plays this role like Michelle Rodriguez and does indeed "hold the movie together from the back seat."… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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6
Jim222001Feb 6, 2023
Despite being one of Michael Bay’s better movies. Even with non-stop explosions, he still thinks everything he makes should be an epic.
The movie didn’t have to be 2 hours 16 minutes. Though I suppose we’re lucky Bay didn’t make it evenDespite being one of Michael Bay’s better movies. Even with non-stop explosions, he still thinks everything he makes should be an epic.
The movie didn’t have to be 2 hours 16 minutes. Though I suppose we’re lucky Bay didn’t make it even longer.
The cast is at least perfect. Where they always keep your attention even if Bay drags out stories too long. That his movies aren’t as good as they are in the beginning, by the end.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
GLADIADORApr 9, 2022
Filme esquecivel com algumas cenas boas de ação, mas ele poderia ser mais curto e menos cansativo
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
MarkHReviewsApr 26, 2022
When you see Michael Bay (“Transformer” series, “Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) listed as director in the opening credits, you know what you’re going to get: fast and energetic camera movement, fast editing and an epic sense of visual scale.When you see Michael Bay (“Transformer” series, “Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) listed as director in the opening credits, you know what you’re going to get: fast and energetic camera movement, fast editing and an epic sense of visual scale. It’s an approach to filmmaking that can cause sensory overload. They call it “Bayhem” for a reason. Visually, “Ambulance” lives up to this expectation.

What’s typically lacking from a Michael Bay film is intricate plotting – okay, average plotting. What’s missing here is even the crumbs of a compelling narrative. In the course of a bank robbery, two of the robbers hijack an ambulance to make their escape. They drive around Los Angeles pretty indiscriminately for the 2:16 running time of this steaming mess. Bayhem ensues. Eventually the ambulance stops. Roll closing credits.

Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal - “Brokeback Mountain,” “Nightcrawler”) and Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II - “Matrix Resurrections,” “Aquaman”) are brothers. They are racially different, but brothers. We’re told repeatedly that they are a “real family.” Because Danny is a remorseless psychopath, their intricate family dynamics are slightly unreliable. Will needs money for his wife’s “experimental surgery. Except insurance doesn’t cover experimental surgery because, they tell me, it’s experimental.” Danny offers to help by bringing Will into his latest heist. Who could have predicted that, on the day of the planned robbery, they’re one man short? And now that Will is part of this clueless band of merry men, what could possibly go wrong?

EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez – “Baby Driver,” “I Care a Lot”) partially redeems this enterprise. She’s compelling and the camera loves her. She’s an effective partial antidote to the testosterone-infused craziness going on around her. On the other hand, she’s also required to perform abdominal surgery in a moving ambulance while being coached by two surgeons on a golf course. After that, the action becomes less plausible.

The mystery is why Jake Gyllenhaal aligned himself with this project. Apparently, he wanted to demonstrate his public devotion to the Nicholas Cage School of Manic Acting. That is to say, Gyllenhaal’s character yells at lot. At important moments, as a context clue, he yells a lot louder.

“Ambulance” is best summarized by a line embedded in an endless stream of wisecracks among the pursuing cops: “… it’s a very expensive car chase right now.” “Ambulance” is based on the 2005 Danish film “Ambulancen,” which had a streamlined running time of 1:19. After watching this American version, I’d have happily watched the film in Danish with no subtitles to regain the hour lost forever from my life.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
MattyIce34Apr 10, 2022
Fans of loud Bayhem will get their kicks, and if this was a nonsense 90 minutes I’d likely have enjoyed it more. But at 130, it gets repetitive and wears out its welcome before arriving at its destination.
0 of 3 users found this helpful03
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4
KlassicReviewsApr 12, 2022
Michael Bay on crack pretty much. Some cool overacting from Jake but nothing else worth it
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
Jean6Apr 27, 2022
Not a lot of things makes sens and the actors are not at their n'est. The action is not good enough, weird camera angle, etc
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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4
dharmaJul 6, 2022
Bay's return to his usual wheel house is a 90's action film which was made 20 plus years too late. Maybe in the 90's this would a hit, but in today day and age, and in light of many, many great action films, this flick felt outdated despiteBay's return to his usual wheel house is a 90's action film which was made 20 plus years too late. Maybe in the 90's this would a hit, but in today day and age, and in light of many, many great action films, this flick felt outdated despite a solid work from its casts. Seeing the dialogue being screamed at every turn, with fancy camerawork used to be cool, but now it felt nauseating and distracting.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
EludiumQ36Jun 1, 2022
"Ambulance" (130-min, R, Michael Bay) is a rare whiff from the director who brought the Transformers franchise to the big screen. Production values were decent for a $40M budget but it looks like most of that was in set/vehicle"Ambulance" (130-min, R, Michael Bay) is a rare whiff from the director who brought the Transformers franchise to the big screen. Production values were decent for a $40M budget but it looks like most of that was in set/vehicle construction/destruction. However, the film's writers aren't in the same league as the director and that's why this effort is widely panned. The dialogue and situational plausibility suffer badly throughout the film so "smh" is the current shorthand for audience reaction. But Hollywood once again checks the diversity box with a strong latina however unlikely her character is, so um, plausibility and they score a double with mixed race siblings, Danny and Will Sharp. At some point studios have got to realize forced diversity does not bring in the $$$.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
jamessMay 26, 2022
AmbuLAnce is perhaps the most Michael Bayist Michael Bay movie I can recall. The first scene of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II talking on the phone to an insurance company had twenty cuts over the course of sixty seconds. I counted. That averages toAmbuLAnce is perhaps the most Michael Bayist Michael Bay movie I can recall. The first scene of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II talking on the phone to an insurance company had twenty cuts over the course of sixty seconds. I counted. That averages to an edit every three seconds. For a phone conversation. Bay's editing style works in a tense scene mid movie with an operation taking place in a moving vehicle, but Bay uses that editing style for EVERY SINGLE SCENE. It's enough to give the viewer ADD. On top of that, Bay has discovered drones. So we are treated to soaring camera angles, sweeping and gliding like a bird on crack, not once or twice but over and over and over until it's no longer a visual treat but a tiresome device. There's Bay's trademark "magic hour" lighting that appears to be taking place just before sundown. But it appears throughout the hours of the day that the events take place. Many directors have come from commercials and advertising from Ridley and Tony Scott onward, using visuals and editing to great effect. Bay though seems to film as if the entire movie was a series of sixty second commercials stitched together. And if Bay's direction is cranked to eleven, Jake Gyllenhaal' s performance is cranked to twelve. At least he knew what type of movie he was appearing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
flabbygumsDec 31, 2022
Sort of entertaining in the beginning and then the most implausible chase in Los Angeles history unfolds for literally the rest of the movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
OrukayuJan 22, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A robbery-themed action movie produced in 2022. They used to say that the only place where there is no logic is the military, but there is no logic in this movie. But despite all the irrational situations, it is watched with interest. The action never ends. The men stole 32 million dollars, caused 32 billion dollars of damage. Maybe the only market movie of Jake Gyllenhaal I've watched. Still, he's the one who dragged the movie away. Are all of the cops unattractive and cocky types who talk deer, dude. The movie also showcases the world's most talented paramedic. While the ambulance was escaping by making hard turns to the right and left, he gave first aid and then went further and performed open surgery in that concussion. Half of Los Angeles is sacrificed to save a cop's life. But it is still watched to see how it will end. I wonder if they were able to collect the last coins? I counted 31 million dollars.

There are no nudity or sexually explicit scenes in the movie. Family can watch.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
theredskyMay 10, 2022
I’m really not a Michael Bay fan at all so this film getting this high of a score is surprising. It’s definitely my favorite film from him and I did enjoy myself with it. It’s definitely mostly fun but it’s not great overall. The acting isI’m really not a Michael Bay fan at all so this film getting this high of a score is surprising. It’s definitely my favorite film from him and I did enjoy myself with it. It’s definitely mostly fun but it’s not great overall. The acting is pretty good across the board. Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have some great chemistry together and I want to see them lead more films together. Their chemistry is probably the strongest part of the film to be honest. The action was great for most of the runtime. All the explosions and car crashes were definitely keeping me interested and the use of drone shots to get action was very unique and I want to see more action filmed like that. While Gyllenhaal and Mateen II have great chemistry together, their writing and characters leave a lot to be desired. I just couldn’t really find a reason to care for them. The cinematography looks nice but the use of hand held and close ups felt nauseating after a while and the whole gimmick of drone shots and non stop action definitely wore off with about 30 minutes left. Those last 30 minutes felt like a slog to get through because I was kind of tired of it. It’s definitely not a bad movie though and I did have fun but it just kind of stagnated and fell off towards the end. The story hooked me at the very beginning and the progression of the story definitely left me feeling tense at points but just like everything else, I just lost interest during the 3rd act. If you want some fun mindless action then this is probably for you and if you want to see something a little different from Michael Bay then you’ll probably enjoy this.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Mauro_LanariMay 14, 2022
(Mauro Lanari)
Abusing drones and kineticism, Bay photographs L.A., the movie protagonist, with a light that Friedkin and Mann might have liked. Within such urban context are inserted the other personages sufficiently characterized, cliché or(Mauro Lanari)
Abusing drones and kineticism, Bay photographs L.A., the movie protagonist, with a light that Friedkin and Mann might have liked. Within such urban context are inserted the other personages sufficiently characterized, cliché or topoi they are. An F&F with a modicum of quality… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
benjanzenMay 13, 2022
I enjoyed Ambulance more than I anticipated. It's a tense and thrilling outing from Michael Bay that features all of his signature explosions and filmmaking techniques. I'm not a big fan of Bays style, but it still manages to feel prettyI enjoyed Ambulance more than I anticipated. It's a tense and thrilling outing from Michael Bay that features all of his signature explosions and filmmaking techniques. I'm not a big fan of Bays style, but it still manages to feel pretty focused and contained. It's way too long and feels repetitive after a while, but Jake and Yahya kept me entertained.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
IntakeCinemaJul 5, 2022
Whoever introduced Michael Bay to drones owes us all an apology. Anyways, it's a Michael Bay movie, if you go in expecting anything else then that's on you.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
CarlElmoreNov 25, 2022
I'm not a big Michael Bay fan but this was fun. The "Bayisms" didn't really do it for me but I enjoyed some of the action scenes and use of drones.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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