Ambulance is a 2022 American heist action thriller film directed and co-produced by Michael Bay and written by Chris Fedak. A co-production between New Republic Pictures, Project X Entertainment and Bay Films, it is a remake of the 2005 Danish film Ambulancen. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as adoptive brothers who hijack an ambulance after robbing a bank, and take a paramedic (Eiza González) and a police officer (Jackson White) hostage.
The film was first announced in 2015 and went through several crew changes. In 2020, Bay came on board to direct after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans to shoot a different movie. Filming took place in Los Angeles, in the midst of the pandemic with cinematographer Roberto De Angelis. During post-production, the film was edited by Pietro Scalia and the score was composed by Lorne Balfe.
Ambulance was theatrically released in some international territories on March 16, and then premiered in Paris, France, on March 20, and was theatrically released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 8, 2022. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing approximately $52 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million. While the story and acting drew some polarized response, Ambulance received praise for Bay's direction and the action sequences.
Plot
Afghanistan 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. Though initially hesitant, Will agrees after Danny reaffirms that he is doing this for Amy. The plan nearly succeeds until Officer Zach, who goes to the bank to ask out a bank teller, discovers the situation and is held hostage by Danny. A shootout then occurs between one of the heist members and Zach's partner Officer Mark. The Special Investigation Section (SIS) of the LAPD arrives and shoots down the whole crew except Will and Danny, who retreat towards the garage. Zach attempts to escape and during a scuffle between him and Danny, he is accidentally shot by Will. Leaving Zach to die, the brothers attempt to exit through the back of the building but find it surrounded by police. They then hijack an ambulance with EMT Cam Thompson on board, who is treating the injured Zach. After a chase that leads them into an alleyway, Cam makes a desperate attempt to escape using a fire extinguisher but is quickly recaptured by Danny.
SIS Captain Monroe arrives on the scene and 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, much to his confusion and frustration. Danny then calls Papi, one of his father's criminal friends, for help losing the police in exchange for $8 million. When Cam stops Danny from shooting Mark, who has been chasing them, Danny threatens to throw her off the ambulance. The police are forced to retreat when it is discovered that Monroe's dog is inside Mark's police vehicle. 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, begins to perform surgery on Zach. Despite her inexperience and a ruptured spleen, Cam successfully performs the surgery. Cam tries to convince Will to stop Danny, to no avail. 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, wanting to save Zach's life, alerts Will and Danny about the snipers. Danny, having had enough of Cam, decides to shoot her but Will intervenes, causing the brothers to fight about their predicament. They later partially reconcile and listen to music together to ease the tension.