Ambulance (Michael Bay)

speedboatchase · 21-10-2021 4:33pm #1

New Michael Bay crime action movie, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Looks very, very silly. Here for the Bayhem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO4A5LWtJag

Out in Feb 2022

JP Liz V1 · 21-10-2021 5:59pm

Did Gerard Butler already do this, anyways looks dumb Bay popcorn fun

FortuneChip · 21-10-2021 6:17pm

Trailer shows waaaaay too much plot (you know, as much as a Bay movie can contain)

so to summarise it contains lots of fizzy explosions, extreme close up shots of the cast, weapons and cars. Those epic sweeping angles that made up half of Bad Boys.

so. Basic Bayhem

pixelburp · 21-10-2021 7:24pm

After the lazy, cynical rubbish that was 6 Underground, I think the sliver of patience I had for Bay's unique vision is gone.

gmisk · 24-10-2021 11:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118054371#Comment_118054371

It does seem kind of similar to den of thieves (there is a sequel to that film on the way btw).

This kinda feels like Bay saw the shot out from heat and said we will just do a whole film like that but turned up to 11...

Dades · 26-10-2021 2:55pm

Stopped the trailer 2/3rds in, didn't need to see any more plot.

(I'm in for the ride).

D3V!L · 26-10-2021 3:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118075241#Comment_118075241

Me too. I dont want it spoiled 😆

Need a Username · 26-10-2021 8:12pm

Remake of a very good Danish movie - which must be Gyllenhaal’s thing now.

Slydice · 14-02-2022 1:58am

Superbowl spot

Ambulance - Only In Theaters April 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev82iHoLk8s

You know.. if this has a good story.. it looks like maybe Michael Bay hasn't gone too overboard on the .. well.. on the Michael Bay stuff 😁

pixelburp · 19-02-2022 8:06pm

I will say, it does look like Bay has made some small attempt to have a relatable or likeable human being starring in his film - which is remarkably rare these days.

santana75 · 25-03-2022 9:51pm

Saw this earlier and it's better than the reviews are giving it credit for. I like a good heist film and this is exactly that. It's no dog day afternoon but not terrible either. Although Michael Bay directing (and casting himself in a non speaking role) had me stressed out after 5 minutes. Jake gyllenhaal's bulging cocaine eyes performance is way too much but Yahya Abdul mateen is brilliant, that guy is gonna be a star. All in all you could do worse, provided you have the patience for Bay's "Frenetic" directing style

pixelburp · 26-03-2022 2:06pm

Well Dr Kermode's review wasn't entirely scathing, so after the trash that was 6 Underground maybe someone had a word in Bay's ear.

https://youtu.be/9poC5-SUD9Q

Agent Coulson · 08-04-2022 9:47pm

Looks like it going to bomb at the box office this week in the States.

pixelburp · 10-04-2022 12:48pm

Wonder why that is; seemed to have been reviewing better than recent Bay films, Transformers especially, though I've noticed very little promotion for the thing around the internets.

speedboatchase · 11-04-2022 10:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118906234#Comment_118906234

It's not based on well-known, proven IP (MCU, Sonic) and it's not a horror movie. That pretty much means it will flop, with rare exceptions. Also, it's available on Peacock over there next month. When you see how short the post-Covid theatrical windows are now for some movies, it's not worth the hassle going to the cinema for many unless it's an 'occasion' (new Batman, new Spider-man, etc etc).

silverharp · 11-04-2022 2:08pm

so many genres just seem played out now and there are fewer bankable stars that sell movies no questions asked. For it to do well it would need to be the 3rd or 4th biggest film of the year so far and that wasnt going to happen

pixelburp · 11-04-2022 2:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118909982#Comment_118909982

I dunno: I take what you mean about dependable IPs and it certainly seemed to reflect in the (post) CoVid box office, I've made similar comments previously; but between the failure here and Moonfall's own significant bomb, you'd also wonder if that truly is it for the 90s style action spectacular.

speedboatchase · 11-04-2022 3:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118911240#Comment_118911240

Action without proven (usually in the 80s or 90s) IP isn't really worth it. There hasn't been a fully original, massive blockbuster since maybe Interstellar or Gravity. The box office performance of Bullet Train will be interesting this summer. Like Ambulance, it is based on IP most people aren't aware of so it will rely on the concept + star being enough for it to break through.

pixelburp · 11-04-2022 3:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118911659#Comment_118911659

What's interesting is that arguably, Michael Bay IS a brand in all this conversation; there are few directors out there where if you say their name you know exactly what you're in for. So perhaps audiences are just kinda done with Bay's formula. I vacillate wildly on where I stand with the man but 6 Undeground was the point where I went "ehhhh, I'm done with this". When he's filming exploding vegetable stalls, he has kinda entered self-parody.

Don't forget John Wick, regarding new action IPs. Maybe not a blockbuster but it is a series indicative of where action cinema is these days, stylistically. Bullet Train seems inspired by that kind of hyper-realistic violence, with an emphasis on close-quarters fights. I don't think Bullet Train happens (or something recent like Nobody) without John Wick coming along first.

speedboatchase · 11-04-2022 3:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118911702#Comment_118911702

Good point re: John Wick. Same year as Interstellar: 2014. If you look at the top 10 US box office for the last 8 years, it's fairly grim reading. Thankfully quite a few franchises are nearly at their end now (Jurassic World, Mission Impossible, Fast and the Furious), so hopefully a few risks are necessary.

Steveimitation · 15-04-2022 2:32am

Fairly entertaining but Michael Bay just will not keep that camera still.

AMKC · 22-04-2022 2:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118911745#Comment_118911745

I doubt Mission Impossible is anywhere near its end. Its like the American Version of James Bond so could go on for a long time yet and I hope it does.

As for this 6 Underground Bay film. I never even heard of it. Did it have a thread in here? When was it out? Was it even in the Cinemas here?

pixelburp · 22-04-2022 3:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118961289#Comment_118961289

I dunno about Mission Impossible: that franchise pretty much reconfigured itself around Tom Cruise's intent to do all his own stunts, no matter how increasingly crazy and dangerous they became; they're filming MI:7 & 8 back-to-back and I reckon it's cos with Cruise nearing 60 there's a recognition that that commitment can't last much longer. I'd question how much audiences might follow the franchise if it stopped being "that one where the actor does his own stunts".

Re. 6 Underground; it's a Netflix movie, one of those where they just gave carte blanche to a director to make whatever. It was a terrible movie, and really subpar Michael Bay on automatic.

AMKC · 22-04-2022 3:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118961413#Comment_118961413

Awe no wonder I never heard of it. So it's basically a B-Movie then. Maybe it will pop up on The Horror Channel or Syfy channel someday and I might see it. If its not in the cinema at some stage then it's not really a movie.

youcancallmeal · 24-04-2022 8:47am

I didn't enjoy it because I kept thinking it was meant to be a serious action thriller ala Heat. The first 30 minutes or so certainly give that impression. Afterwards I realised its meant as a sort of ridiculous comedic thriller, I think I would of enjoyed it a lot more if I had realised that early on. The camera work and drone shots were very much Michael Bay but didn't bother me too much.

Wombatman · 24-04-2022 12:31pm

Couldn't finish it. Driving, shouting and noise.

3/10

flasher0030 · 24-04-2022 3:11pm

I enjoyed it overall. Obviously didn't take itself too seriously with little one-liners thrown in. I won't be watching it again, but was really entertaining friday night flick with a few beers. I know its an over the top action film (and I don't think its giving away too much plot line by saying this), but why didn't they just put a blockade on the road to stop the ambulance at the beginning. It's not that difficult. Anyway, I know there is no point in dwelling over plotholes in a film like that. Overall, I would definitely recommend it as a switch-off-the-brain action film.

pixelburp · 27-04-2022 4:14pm

Well well. The action was still chaotic and a nightmare of continuity, but this was by far Bay's most stripped-back and human-shaped film in years. Still centred by a cast of characters whose resting energy was to be as loud and obnoxious as possible - and that included the protagonists - but the lack of alien robot spectacle and no-strings Netflix cash perhaps helped cultivate a smaller story with a beating heart; one that kept me genuinely invested in the fates of the brothers fleeing in the titular ambulance. Cards on the table: that finale genuinely struck an emotional chord - and I was not prepared to have that reaction to a Michael Bay blockbuster. For sure the cornball sentimentalism was ramped to the stratosphere as only Bay can - but it landed more than it crashed; a lot of that was certainly down to the actors selling the hell out of those heartfelt scenes, with only Gyllenhaal showing any of that "cocaine enthusiast" mania you usually get from leads like LeBeouf or Wahlberg in those older Bay features.

It was still far too long, and while there are few directors who can make dialogue & establishing shots look as arresting as Michael Bay, his action remained a baffling mess - being especially bad here in a few distinct places. It's obviously something Bay has no interest in "fixing" - if he's even aware of it. Still, this was something that completely caught me by surprise, in a good way. I don't necessarily like Michael Bay's movies, but this was the closest he has got to that bottled lightning of his early work.

It's actually a shame it bombed, 'cos I'd hate for Bay to read the failure as a rejection by the audience for "smaller" projects.

Ambulance (Michael Bay)

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