What would happen if you crossbred Jan de Bont’s Speed with Michael Mann’s Heat? Apparently, no one but Michael Bay thought to ask that question, as he’s blended both of those ‘90s classics into the wild result that is his latest film, Ambulance. Dropping Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya-Abdul Mateen II into a heist gone horribly wrong, the action goes mobile, with a very sensitive ticking clock scenario in the mix.
Adopted brothers Will (Yahya-Abdul Mateen II) and Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal) are the heart of Ambulance’s crazy, kinetic drama, courtesy of Universal Pictures’ first full look. With Will in desperate need of money to pay for his wife’s life saving operation, he turns to his brother for some help. Though instead of a simple loan, Danny offers Will the opportunity of a lifetime: $32 million, in the largest robbery LA history has ever known. The course of Bayhem never runs straight and true though, as what was supposed to be a simple task turns out to be a reckless race against time, thanks to the theft of the titular Ambulance.
The reckless part of the equation isn’t just because Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal have stolen an ambulance; but rather it’s who’s in the vehicle that complicates things. As it turns out, Ambulance sees Will and Danny Sharp commandeering a wounded police officer’s ride to the hospital. With an EMT (Godzilla vs. Kong’s Eiza González) along for the ride as well, a life is in the balance, and Will looks like he’s about to have a crisis of conscience.
Dramatic weight aside, Ambulance looks like it does what any good Michael Bay directed film should do. The man who helped land franchises like Transformers and Bad Boys has his fingerprints all over this movie, right down to that special tint of orange sunlight that hits Yayha Abdul-Mateen II’s face in an early scene. Oh, and in case you missed it for some reason, there’s that extremely dangerous looking scene where the ambulance explosively plows into some cop cars.
What more could you want from a trailer for a movie like Michael Bay’s Ambulance? Looking like a cinematic child possessing the momentum of Speed combined with the intense action and pathos of Heat, it’s got that charm that looks to disarm all that stand in its path. And if that doesn’t work, then the tons of speeding metal death barreling down the highway and Army of the Dead’s Garret Dillahunt, waiting to finish the job. Talk about a potential summer blockbuster.
Only, you won’t have to wait that long for Ambulance to crash into theaters, as it’s set to debut on February 18th, 2022. You’ve still got some time to prepare, and two options standing right in front of you. For a quicker boost of adrenaline, check out the rest of what 2021’s movie selection has to offer, as there’s plenty of action left to discover. Or, if you’re willing to wait, you could zoom over to the 2022 release schedule, and see what’s going on in the year to come.
