Written by Cameron Geiser

The maximalist is back, baby! The fifteenth film directed by Michael Bay is a return to form for the auteur of explosions, and a welcomed return it is! I had my suspicions that Bay was on the beginning of a comeback tour of films with his last effort from Netflix, 6 Underground, reigniting his more classic Action film tendencies. Granted, the script and story structure of that film was too twisty, too convoluted and wrapped up in its own ego to be anything more than a vehicle for Bay to flex those directing muscles after a decade of giant CGI robots. Ambulance, mercifully, does not have those issues.

The story at hand is a far more streamlined affair, two brothers, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), reunite for a bank heist after some time apart. Will’s the lead: he’s got medical bills, he’s been applying for multiple jobs, with a baby son in tow- oh and he’s a military veteran. Fairly typical setup for a Bayhem lead. He’s got the motivation to take on huge risks if need be, and the need is real. Will initially goes to his richer, and far more unstable, brother to ask for some financial assistance. Danny seems a bit on edge when Will arrives, and he soon finds out it’s because Danny’s about to lead a bank heist in downtown Los Angeles for a cool thirty-two million dollars. Will’s initially hesitant but Danny eventually convinces him to gear up for this one big job so he can afford his wife’s experimental surgery. The other story that’s taking place alongside the brothers is that of Ambulance EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González) who’s set up as a no nonsense paramedic who’s seen her fair share of nasty wounds in her time. As the heist begins, a couple of key moments don’t quite go as planned and in no time at all the heist goes up in flames. Danny, Will, and a cop that they’ve taken as a hostage get into an altercation in a parking garage as the cop is shot in the heat of the moment. A few scenes later and we have two brothers hiding out in the ambulance with Cam treating the cop they shot. The rest of the film is a thrilling chase sequence with plenty of cat and mouse dynamics that evolve just enough to keep everything interesting.

Plot details aside, what shines most in this film are the performances from the three principal characters, and all of the production that comes with a Michael Bay film. Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny is a real treat. Throughout his manic episodes, and alternatively cool guy persona clashing, I was having flashbacks to Nicolas Cage’s role in Face/Off. Gyllenhaal goes all out in this one, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been having a banner year of excellent performances. From his lead role in the horror reboot of Candyman, to his slightly different take on Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections, not to mention he’ll be reprising his role as Black Manta once again in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom next March. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is arguably Hollywood’s MVP right now, and I’ll be looking forward to what he does next! Eiza González is the perfect buffer between Danny and Will, a strong independent woman who just wants to do her job. By the time the film’s coming to a close she’s proven that she’s not just a tough exterior, and reestablishes her connection to the community, to humanity.

As for the filmmaking side of things, it’s clear that Bay has recently discovered drones! There are some truly kinetic and technical shots he’s pulled off in this one by utilizing drones with highly efficient cameras attached. Does he go overboard with the drone shots? Maybe just a bit, but the really good shots outweigh the passable ones that made it into the final cut. All of Bay’s typical style is here and accounted for, as is his love of carnage inflicted on people. One of the men recruited by Danny, who wore Birkenstocks to a bank heist, was on the receiving end of a particularly nasty death. There’s also a moment when a body is launched by an explosion halfway through the ambulance windshield as Jake Gyllenhaal berates and punches the assailant in the face. Once the heist begins the rest of the film deals with the fallout of its failure, and Bay squeezes that action and thriller potential for all it’s worth.

At the end of the day this is a smaller story, on a cheaper budget than usual for Bay ($40 Million), in an essentially one location thriller that has the advantage of being mobile. As it turns out, when Bay is working with less and he has to be more creative with his filmmaking choices, his films are better for it. If you enjoy films like the first two Bad Boys, Heat, The Rock, or Face/Off- this will scratch that high-octane itch. It’s 1995 again folks, and the action is appropriately over the top. Welcome back Michael Bay.

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.