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Ambulance (2022 film)

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This article is about the 2022 film. For the 1990 film, see The Ambulance.

Ambulance
A poster featuring the faces of two men and one woman. Underneath them is an ambulance being pursued by the police. The title, "Ambulance", is also present with the letters "LA" in a different color, noting that the story takes place in Los Angeles.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Bay
Screenplay byChris Fedak
Based on
Ambulancen
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRoberto De Angelis
Edited byPietro Scalia
Music byLorne Balfe
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • March 20, 2022 (2022-03-20) (France)
  • April 8, 2022 (2022-04-08) (United States)
Running time
136 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[citation needed]
Box office$4.7 million[2][3]

Ambulance is a 2022 American action thriller film directed and produced by Michael Bay. A co-production between New Republic Pictures, Bay Films, Endeavor Content, and Project X Entertainment, it is based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González and follows two adoptive siblings turned bank robbers who hijack an ambulance and take two first responders hostage.

Ambulance, first announced in 2015, went through several crew changes years before it entered production. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Bay's career led him to come on board to direct. Filming took place in the midst of the pandemic in Los Angeles on a $40 million budget with cinematographer Roberto De Angelis. During post-production, editing was completed by Pietro Scalia and the musical score was composed by Lorne Balfe. The film premiered in Paris, France, on March 20, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 8, 2022, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

War veteran Will Sharp, desperately in need of $231,000 for his wife Amy's surgery, reaches out to Danny, his adoptive brother and a life-long criminal, who talks him into taking part in a $32 million bank heist. Officer Zach, who goes to the bank to ask out a bank teller, is held hostage and accidentally shot by Will. The SIS (Special Investigation Section) division of the LAPD arrives and shoots down the whole crew except Will and Danny. The brothers hijack an ambulance with EMT Cam Thompson on board, who is treating the injured Zach. Cam makes a desperate attempt to escape when they stop and decides to stay when Zach starts flatlining.

SIS Captain Monroe deploys helicopters to chase after the ambulance. Cam gets Danny to help her use a defibrillator and Will to transfer some of his blood to Zach. Danny calls Papi, one of his father's criminal friends, for help losing the police. When Cam stops Danny from shooting Zach's partner, Mark, who has been chasing them, Danny threatens to throw her off the ambulance. FBI Agent Anson Clark, a past friend of Danny's, is put on the case. Zach begins to bleed out; Cam, with Will's assistance, performs surgery despite her inexperience. Cam tries to convince Will to stop Danny. Monroe, unaware of the surgery's success, moves forward with the operation and prepares to snipe Will and Danny without negotiating for Cam's life. Clark calls Cam and tells her to get down. Cam alerts Will and Danny about the snipers to save Zach's life. Danny threatens Cam again, causing Will and Danny to fight and later listen to music together to ease the tension.

In the Los Angeles River, helicopters chase the ambulance as Danny shoots at them. Will and Danny drive on the opposite lane of the interstate, creating multiple accidents. On Papi's orders, his son, Roberto, drives an empty ambulance towards the police after filling it with C-4 explosives and deploys a machine gun to cause additional damage, which ends up killing Monroe. Mark chases down Roberto and kills him. Will and Danny escape to Papi's hideout. Papi asks the brothers to leave Zach and Cam with them; Will refuses to cooperate and teams up with Danny to kill Papi and his crew. In the chaos, Cam accidentally shoots Will using Zach's gun. Danny takes the ambulance to a hospital and is enraged when he finds Cam was the one who shot Will. Will shoots and kills Danny when he threatens to kill Cam along with himself. The police arrest Will and take him inside for surgery, Cam secretly gives some of the heist money to Amy, and Zach tells the police that Will saved his life.

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II at the 2017 premiere of "Baywatch" in Sydney, Australia.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II play adoptive brothers who rob a bank together

Production

Development

Ambulance is an American remake of the 2005 Danish film of the same name. Producer Bradley J. Fischer said Michael Bay was his first choice to direct the film but that the filmmaker had originally passed on the project.[4] The film was announced on August 28, 2015, with Phillip Noyce attached to direct from a script written by Chris Fedak.[5] Two years later, it was reported that Noyce had been replaced by directing duo Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales,[6] but this version of the film never entered production.[7]

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles affected Bay's career and canceled his plans to shoot his next film, Black Five. He recalled telling his agent "Goddamnit, I just want to get out and shoot something fast. I'm tired of being locked up at home". He pitched an idea to Donna Langley, the Chairwoman of Universal Pictures, and said he wanted to direct a "small" film focusing on the tension between characters trapped in a claustrophobic setting.[8] Bay was reminded of Ambulance and told that the film could be shot on a relatively low-budget in a short period of time. "It kind of suited my needs," he said.[9] On November 11, 2020, Bay was announced as the new director,[10] and the film was referred to as a "character-driven project" that would move away from Bay's normality of "standard explosion-heavy fare" while using elements from Speed (1994) and Bad Boys (1995).[11] Bay did not watch or read the screenplay of the original Danish film because he wanted to make the film his own.[8]

The film was financed by Endeavor Content and produced by New Republic Pictures and Project X.[12] Jake Gyllenhaal received the screenplay while shooting a different project in October 2020.[13] The following month, the film was announced with Gyllenhaal and Dylan O'Brien joining the cast as the two brothers who hijack the ambulance and Eiza González in negotiations to star as the paramedic.[14][15] Gyllenhaal's casting was a contributing factor in Bay's decision to shoot the film.[13] To prepare for the role, González spent three months "working intimately with firefighters, EMTs, surgeons, [and] everyone around the medical care system." She also rented an ambulance and had a friend drive her around to improve her balance.[16] On December 11, 2020, Universal Pictures confirmed they would distribute the film and announced O'Brien had dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as his replacement when he was able to fit the film into his schedule, following a production delay on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).[17][18][19] González was confirmed to star three days later.[20] The rest of the cast was announced between January and May 2021.[21]

Filming

The film was shot on a $40 million budget in Downtown Los Angeles.[8] Filming wrapped in March 2021 after thirty-eight days.[22][23][24]

During pre-production, stunt coordinator Mike Gunther put the three leads of the film through stunt driving courses to test their driving abilities. Supervising location manager Rob Gibson obtained driving permits for a large number of city streets and freeway corridors in the city using his close relationship with FilmLA.[25] The cast and crew had to follow safety protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as wearing masks on set.[26] To make the film feel authentic, the production hired real trauma surgeons, firefighters, SWAT teams, snipers, and over 50 LAPD officers for the shoot. Gyllenhaal was also allowed to improvise several his lines.[27] The production borrowed a total of six ambulances from Falck.[25][27] The scenes inside of the ambulance were captured using three ambulances: one was driven with the crew on board; a second could be dismantled; and a third was rocked on a stage.[8] According to Abdul-Mateen, the limited space inside of the ambulance required Gyllenhaal to hold the camera during a number of takes.[28][29]

Channelized Los Angeles River in Downtown Los Angeles.
The helicopter chase sequence in the Los Angeles River was improvised.

Parts of the film, especially chase sequences, were shot using First Person View (FPV) drones by LightCraft. Michael Kase discovered the company after seeing their footage of the top of the Wilshire Grand Center. The drones in the film were flown by Drone Racing League pilots Jordan Temkin and Alex Vanover using VR headsets. Footage captured by the drones included scenes in the Los Angeles Convention Center and the city's Fashion District.[25][30] In February 2021, an explosive stunt involving the ambulance was shared online.[31] The helicopter chase sequence in the Los Angeles River was not in the script; Bay came up with the idea after two helicopters became available for use.[32] Bay elaborated on the filming process:

I'm a fast shooter, I'm a very efficient shooter. We're shooting about 90 shots to 120 shots a day. That's a lot of shots. Most movies are 20 to 30 shots a day. But you know I was there with the camera. I'm a director who doesn't have a video village, I don't have a director's chair, I don't have a trailer. I'm right there with the actors and we work fast and it just gave that immediate energy to the movie.[33]

Post-production

Lorne Balfe composed the musical score; he previously collaborated with Bay on 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) and 6 Underground (2019).[34] The score was recorded in London's Abbey Road Studios,[35] and is scheduled to be released on April 8, 2022, by Back Lot Music.[36] Editing was completed by Pietro Scalia.[37]

Release and marketing

The film premiered at the UGC Normandie in Paris.

Ambulance held a world premiere at the UGC Normandie in Paris, France, on March 20, 2022.[38] It is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 8, 2022. The film was originally set to be released on February 18, 2022, coinciding with the release of Uncharted, but was moved forward after Sony postponed Bullet Train from April 8 to July 15, leaving the time slot open for another film.[12][39] The film will stream on Peacock 45 days after its theatrical release.[40] As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Universal announced in March 2022 that it had "paused" the theatrical releases of all of its films in Russia, including Ambulance.[41]

The first trailer was shown at CinemaCon on August 25, 2021, and released online on October 21, 2021.[42] The Hollywood Reporter compared the footage to Heat (1995) and Training Day (2001),[43] and Deadline Hollywood noted "the rapid rhythm that Bay does best."[44] Entertainment Weekly said the film looked like "pure chaos, thanks to a lot of quick camera cuts, loads of gunfire, a high-speed ambulance chase, and Jake Gyllehaal doing the absolute most with his bank robber character."[45] A second trailer was released on March 24, 2022. Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The latest trailer for the chaotic heist-gone-wrong film is peak Michael Bay, with everything you could possibly want from an action flick".[46]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Ambulance is scheduled to be released alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the wide expansion of Everything Everywhere All at Once, and is projected to gross $12–18 million in its opening weekend.[47]

Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film earned $4.4 million from 35 international markets in its opening weekend.[48][49]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[50] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[51]

John Nugent of Empire Magazine] gave it 3 out of 5 and called it "noisy, messy and frequently absurd — yet still somehow his most gleefully entertaining effort in at least a decade."[52] Tim Grierson of Screen International wrote: "Michael Bay's maximalist action cinema finds another gear in this muscular chase picture, which spotlights the filmmaker's visual panache alongside his considerable storytelling weaknesses."[53]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety called it "Die Hard on an EMS Van" and said that "It never stops huffing and puffing to entertain you, but it’s joyless: a tale of escape that’s far from a great escape, because for all its motion it’s going through the motions."[54] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "At a lean, mean 90 minutes or so, Ambulance might have been a guilty pleasure. Instead, it’s the sort of cinematic thrill ride so overstuffed that you can’t wait for it to be over."[55]

References

  1. ^ "Ambulance (15)". BBFC. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Ambulance (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ambulance (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Lyus, Jon (March 23, 2022). "Ambulance Premiere Interviews – Michael Bay, Eiza González, Yahya Abdul Mateen II & more on the powerful new film". HeyUGuys. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (August 28, 2015). "Phillip Noyce to Direct Thriller Ambulance (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 17, 2017). "Navot Papushado & Aharon Keshales To Helm Ambulance". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Evangelista, Chris (November 11, 2020). "Michael Bay WIll Direct Speed-Like Action Movie Ambulance Starring Jake Gyllenhaal". /Film. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d L'interview - L'équipe d'Ambulance (J. Gyllenhaal, Y. Abdul-Mateen II, E. González & M. Bay) [The Interview – The Ambulance Team (J. Gyllenhaal, Y. Abdul-Mateen II, E. González & M. Bay)]. Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Mottram, James (March 17, 2022). "How Michael Bay made heist film Ambulance with Jake Gyllenhaal in record time". The National. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 11, 2020). "Michael Bay To Direct Action-Thriller Ambulance With Jake Gyllenhaal In Talks To Star". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (November 11, 2020). "Michael Bay, Jake Gyllenhaal Teaming for Thriller Ambulance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Jackson, Angelique (January 21, 2021). "Universal Sets New Release Dates for Bob Odenkirk's Nobody, Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho". Variety. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Ambulance Movie Cast Interviews With Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul Mateen II. CineMagna – Movies Behind The Scenes. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Hermanns, Grant (November 11, 2020). "Michael Bay in Talks With Gyllenhaal, Eyeing González & O'Brien for Ambulance". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
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  16. ^ Adams, Abigail (March 24, 2022). "Eiza Gonzalez Debuts New Blonde Hair at Ambulance Premiere in London: Just Had to Do It". People. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to Join Jake Gyllenhaal in Michael Bay Thriller Ambulance (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Aquilina, Tyler (December 12, 2020). "Yahya Abdul-Mateen II joins Jake Gyllenhaal in Michael Bay's Ambulance". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  19. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (August 11, 2021). "Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Cements His Place on Hollywood's New A-List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 14, 2020). "Eiza Gonzalez To Co-Star Opposite Jake Gyllenhaal In Michael Bay's Ambulance". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  21. ^ Multiple sources:
  22. ^ Nordstrom, Leigh (March 26, 2021). "Eiza González, Godzilla vs. Kong Star, Writes Her Own Rules". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  23. ^ Stambouliah, Olivia (March 18, 2021). Wrapped this wild ride. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via Instagram.
  24. ^ "Michael Bay says Ambulance was 'ambitious' and 'difficult'". Independent.ie. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c Hooper, Simon (March 24, 2022). "Michael Bay's Ambulance chase". Any Good Films. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  26. ^ "Eiza González is already filming her leading role in the movie Ambulance". Explica. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  27. ^ a b Khosrawi, Parviz (March 24, 2022). Ambulance Berlin Press Conference Eiza González – Michael Bay – Jake Gyllenhaal – Yahya – Making Of. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ Sullivan, Eric (February 17, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal Reconsiders". Esquire. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  29. ^ Geisinger, Gabriella (March 24, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II were all hands on deck for Ambulance". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  30. ^ Malhorta, Rahul (March 23, 2022). "Ambulance Featurette Reveals How Michael Bay Pulled Off Those Incredible Drone Shots". Collider. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  31. ^ Pearson, Ben (February 24, 2021). "Watch: Michael Bay Shares an Explosive Stunt Video From His Latest Movie, Ambulance". /Film. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; February 25, 2021 suggested (help)
  32. ^ Sunder, Gautam (March 22, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal: On Ambulance and his Michael Bay experience". The Hindu. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  33. ^ Ambulance – Michael Bay Interview. mymovies. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 13, 2021). "Black Widow Composer Lorne Balfe on Making His MCU Debut and Returning for Mission: Impossible 7". Collider. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  35. ^ "Lorne Balfe Scoring Michael Bay's Ambulance". Film Music Reporter. August 4, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  36. ^ "Ambulance Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  37. ^ Khosrawi, Parviz (March 24, 2022). Michael Bay Interview Ambulance Premiere Berlin – secret of his success – making of – set memories. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (March 21, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal and Girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu Enjoy Rare Red Carpet Outing at Ambulance Paris Premiere". People. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  39. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 14, 2021). "Ambulance Zooms To Early April". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  40. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  41. ^ Couch, Aaron (March 1, 2022). "Universal Pulls Russia Releases, Including Animated Bad Guys and Michael Bay's Ambulance". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  42. ^ Sebren, Brandy Lynn (October 21, 2021). "Michael Bay's Ambulance Trailer Takes Jake Gyllenhaal on One Wild Ride". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  43. ^ Giardina, Carolyn; Couch, Aaron (August 25, 2021). "Universal Offers Looks at Sing 2, Michael Bay's Ambulance and Ethan Hawke's The Black Phone at CinemaCon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  44. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (August 25, 2021). "Jake Gyllenhaal & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Action Pic Ambulance Drops Trailer At CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  45. ^ Romano, Nick (October 21, 2021). "See Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as bank robbers on the run in Michael Bay's chaotic Ambulance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  46. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (March 24, 2022). "The new trailer for Michael Bay's Ambulance is peak Michael Bay". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  47. ^ Robbins, Shawn (March 11, 2022). "Long Range Box Office Forecast: Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Ambulance, and Everything Everywhere All at Once". Boxoffice Pro. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  48. ^ Mendelson, Scott (March 20, 2022). "Box Office: Sing 2 Scores In Japan As Uncharted Passes $200 Million Overseas". Forbes. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  49. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (March 20, 2022). "The Batman Swoops In On $600M WW, Unflappable Despite Tough Break In China – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  50. ^ "Ambulance". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  51. ^ "Ambulance". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  52. ^ John Nugent (2022). "Ambulance". Empire (film magazine).
  53. ^ Grierson, Tim (March 24, 2022). "'Ambulance': Review". Screen International.
  54. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (March 24, 2022). "'Ambulance' Review: Jake Gyllenhaal in Michael Bay's '90s-Retro Excessive 'Die Hard' on an EMS Van". Variety.
  55. ^ Scheck, Frank (March 24, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Michael Bay's 'Ambulance': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
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