‘Ambulance’

Watching director Michael Bay's riveting cops and robbers thriller “Ambulance” (*** OUT OF **** ) is like being caught in Golden Triangle morning traffic on HWY 82 east. Nothing about this high-octane hoedown on wheels is remotely believable, but Bay makes everything into such a visceral, white-knuckled, edge of your seat sensation that you cannot help being mesmerized by its explosive spontaneity. Videogame junkies of “Grand Theft Auto” will crave these shenanigans. Basically, “Ambulance” retreads Danish writer & director Laurits Munch-petersen's hostage thriller “Ambulancen” (2005) where two Caucasian brothers held up a bank and then hijacked an ambulance. While “Ambulancen” clocked in at a mere 80 minutes, Bay's ramped-up remake runs away at 136 minutes. As adrenalin-laced as “Ambulance” seems, this hyperbolic heist thriller has some cat and mouse moments. Jake Gyllenhaal of “End of Watch” and Yahya Abdul-mateen II of “Candyman” co-star as improbable brothers Danny and Will Sharp. Danny's bank robbing dad adopted Will and raised him alongside Danny as his brother. Nothing about this colorblind narrative trope is novel. Remember, Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson were siblings in John Singleton's “Four Brothers” (2005). The surprise is the depiction of a gay FBI Agent! Agent Anson Clark (Keir O'donnell of “American Sniper”) is in couples' counseling when he learns about the million-dollar bank robbery. Before bailing out on his fragile partner, Clark kisses him and scrambles to assist the LAPD with their high-speed pursuit. The filmmakers never treat Clark as a source of comic relief. Later, Clark takes charge of the chase after his LAPD counterpart dies from a barrage of gunfire from what resembles an electric GE M-134 Minigun rattling off .308 ammo at a rate of 67 rounds per second! When it isn't a slam-bang, law & order saga, “Ambulance” pays tribute to the gallantry of first responders. Specifically, actress Eiza González's tenacious paramedic struggles desperately to keep everybody alive until the bullet-blasting finale.

Will Sharp (Yahya Abdulmateen II) refused to become a career criminal like brother Danny in the bank robbery business. Instead, he put on Marine fatigues and fought in Afghanistan. He came home with a Purple Heart, married his sweetheart Amy (Moses Ingram of “The Tragedy of Macbeth”), and they had a son. Now, Amy needs experimental cancer surgery which Will's insurance refuses to cover since it is experimental. Reluctantly, Will visits Danny, looking for a loan, while his brother and his henchmen are gearing up for a $32-million, broad daylight, bank heist. Danny's triggerhappy tough guys armed with assault rifles pile into a van and cruise downtown to the bank. Little do our protagonists know the LAPD has the bank staked out. At the last minute, Will joins them when Danny offers him enough to cover Amy's surgery.

Predictably, everything goes sideways. Danny's henchmen are mowed down. Meanwhile, Will and he escape by hijacking an ambulance in route to an ER with a wounded cop. Turns out Will wounded the cop to save Danny's life. Talk about dysfunctional brothers! Danny and Will are at each other's throats throughout this helter-skelter chase. Nevertheless, when Danny gives him a chance to walk away, Will refuses to leave his brother in the lurch! At one point, Cam (Eiza González of “Alita: Battle Angel”) has her hands deep in the belly of the wounded cop searching for a slug near his spleen! Two trauma surgeons on a cell phone talk her through this impromptu procedure, while an obliging Will holds the gaping wound open! Mind you, action thrillers are only as entertaining as they are outrageous, and “Ambulance” is like a four-alarm fire at every turn as the LAPD try to trap Danny. Danny and Will know LA better and use their logistical expertise to their advantage. By now, LAPD