Jake Gyllenhaal’s forgotten action-thriller finds new life on Netflix
When it comes to second chances, Netflix doesn’t back down. This is why, despite Ambulance’s underperformance at the box office three years ago, the streamer stepped in to change the narrative of this Jake Gyllenhaal starrer.
Announced first a decade ago in 2015, Ambulance was released in 2022, following major crew changes. Michael Bay took over the director’s chair after his plans to shoot a different movie were halted with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The action-thriller is a co-production between New Republic Pictures, Endeavour Content, Project X Entertainment and Bay Films, serving as the remake of the 2005 Danish film of the same name. While Gyllenhaal has hit box office gold with an illustrious resume that’s one for the books, Ambulance’s subpar performance in the theatres doesn’t really come out as that bad on review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes.
Although this polarity is not exclusive, it’s a good thing that Netflix brought in this blast from the recent past to ensure visibility and adequate exposure.
As of November 24th, the title is reportedly ranked number three on the most popular movies chart in Netflix US, succeeding Champagne Problems and The Carman Family Deaths. Wrapping up the list are In Your Dreams, Train Dreams, KPop Demon Hunters, The Sandlot, Frankenstein, Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy and Mistletoe Mixup.
Ambulance follows a military veteran, Will Sharp, struggling to secure a job since his return to civilian life. The fact that he also has to support his newborn and a sick wife, Amy, isn’t helping his case at all. The situation turns all the worse when insurance denies coverage for an experimental surgery that could give Amy another shot at life.
While completely at his wits’ end, he resorts to his adoptive brother, Danny, portrayed by Gyllenhaal, for help. Danny, who is a habitual offender, also has an offer in his hand. If Will joins Danny’s crew on their mission of a bank heist, he could end up with a cut of $32million, which is way more than the $231,000 he needs for Amy’s surgery. It could practically sort his life forever.
But none of that actually falls into place. Officer Parker enters the scene of the robbery to ask one of the bank tellers out on a date, leaving Danny’s crew to lose their calm. To worsen the situation, in their desperate attempt at escape, hostages, crew members, and Officer Parker are wounded and left behind. Meanwhile, Danny and Will are on a different route altogether, where the sounds of police alarms are closing in towards them.
That’s until an ambulance arrives just in time in the parking structure, leaving Danny to resort to yet another impulsive decision that turns the tables.