“Ambulance,” released on April 8, 2022, is a story about two adoptive brothers: Danny (played by Jake Gyllenhall) and Will Sharp (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen). Danny, a bonafide bank robber since 17, has a spotless record and lives a comfortable life. Meanwhile, his brother Will lives on the other end of the spectrum. As an unemployed veteran who lives in the slums with his ill wife and newborn child, he struggles to pay the bills and fund the life-saving surgery his wife needs.

Knowing that he will not be able to get the money for his wife’s surgery, Will turns to his brother for support. Despite looking for a small job and rejecting the idea of a more dangerous hit, Danny manages to convince Will to join him in a bank robbery for a lucrative prize of 32 million dollars. 

The heist begins smoothly for the brothers and the rest of their crew,  but their  intricate plan hits a roadblock when a cop insists on speaking to one of the bank tellers whom he happens to have a crush on. This throws a wrench in the gears of Danny’s plans, which did not incorporate the police involvement, resulting in a deadly shootout at the bank. This is when the movie increases pace and the audience starts to wonder how the two leads will recover from this disaster. Will and Danny scramble to find a way out, and viewers are on edge as the plan burns into ashes and the real action begins.   

Luckily for them, an ambulance sat wide open for their exit. The plot thickens as the brothers meet Cam (played by Eiza Gonzales), an EMT who is taking care of an injured cop in the back of the ambulance.  

Though there is an extremely intense environment in “Ambulance,” viewers quickly took a liking to Will as they were able to appreciate his pure-heartedness. Will and his wholesome nature reminds viewers of the power of having solid morals. For example, Will’s morals made him hesitant about taking on the plan with Danny. 

This thriller seeking venture makes viewers want to come for the ride with the brothers while running from the LAPD units and SWAT. Even with this external conflict, we notice the internal conflict between the two brothers themselves.

Gyllenhaal and Abdul-Mateen both did a superb job with their roles and the dynamic between Danny and Will was incredible. Danny is an extremely strategic person who wants to have everything planned out from start to finish, but when everything starts to fall apart we see him crumble as well showing a willingness to kill, which we hadn’t seen before. Gyllenhaal was able to show signs of becoming psychotic through Danny, increasing his willingness to kill and emotional breakdowns.

Abdul-Mateen’s character develops as he struggles to justify why he followed his brother’s plans. Will clearly did not want to commit this crime, but as the situation continues to intensify, because his real challenge is facing his brother. 

Despite their differences, one a hardened criminal and the other a war hero, they each clearly love each other and would do anything to protect the other; hence, the reason why Will went against his morals to perform the heist with his brother and struggled to follow through with his initial answer of no.  

“Ambulance” has received harsh reviews from critics: a mediocre 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this overall rating, it received an 87% audience score from viewers. Due to the positive feedback from viewers, “Ambulance” still has a chance to gain some popularity, as it has only made 46.6 million in the box office according to IMDB.

During an age in which cinema is dominated by Marvel and Disney, where every film seems interconnected as a part of a greater story, the movie “Ambulance” has perfectly encapsulated what it means to be a standalone film (without any sequels or associated movies) in 2022. It was refreshing and satisfying to see and enjoy a story for what it was from start to finish without having to worry about the connections or consequences it might have on other movies. 

“Ambulance” is available exclusively in theaters.