Parents' Guide to

Ambulance

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Lots of crashes, blood, swearing in Michael Bay chase movie.

Movie R 2022 136 minutes
Ambulance Movie: Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Charlie H.
Charlie H. Adult
March 24, 2023
age 15+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
sjsubity
sjsubity Parent of 14-year-old
April 12, 2022
age 15+
This movie is flat out action almost from start to finish. Tons of swearing and a lot of violence throughout, plus one particularly gory scene where a very bloody operation is performed in the ambulance.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In AMBULANCE, former U.S. Marine Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is out of work, has a small child, and needs more than $200,000 for an operation for his wife. He goes to his adoptive brother, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), a career criminal, to ask for help. Instead, Danny asks Will to come along on a bank robbery, which he promises will go off without a hitch. Meanwhile, a rookie cop (Jackson White) who's worked up the nerve to ask out one of the bank tellers, talks his way into the bank while the robbery is in progress. The cop upsets the robbery and is shot. Will and Danny see their chance for escape when an ambulance arrives to pick up the wounded man. With kidnapped EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González) in tow, the robbers must go on the run while keeping the bleeding cop alive -- or face the wrath of the entire LAPD.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (9):

A typically over-the-top Michael Bay production, this exhausting, far too long action movie still surprisingly passes muster with its batch of colorful, likable characters and wiry sense of humor. With the bulk of the movie's running time following the ambulance racing through city streets while pursued by cops, as well as multiple crashes and shoot-outs, Ambulance certainly could have benefited from some tightening. One of the biggest twists -- a plan to use decoys to finally evade the police -- takes a very long time from conception to execution, and a good deal of momentum is lost along the way. Plus, it's just hard to be constantly gripping your armrests for that long.

Additionally, Bay's pointless, show-offy camerawork, with daredevil swoops from bizarre, impossible angles, may cause headaches. Even so, Ambulance has so many quirky touches -- and such an appealingly strange sense of humor -- that moments like a desperate, ruthlessly gory life-saving operation or a break to listen to a little Christopher Cross are irresistible. Gyllenhaal, especially, is at the top of his game, as manic and zany here as he was in Bong Joon-ho's Okja, barking one-liners in a way that suggests he's really enjoying all this. His enthusiasm seems to lift up co-stars Abdul-Mateen and González, and they feed on his energy. A fine use of Los Angeles locations and backdrops completes the picture, ultimately making this a not bad big-screen offering.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Ambulance's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • Are Danny and Will heroes? Villains? Anti-heroes? Were you rooting for them to get away or to get caught? Why?

  • Are characters three-dimensional and powerful, or are stereotypes used? Why is diverse representation important in the media?

  • Do you consider Cam a role model? Does she have agency? Why is that important?

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