Netflix is sending pulses racing again with Ambulance, the 2022 action-crime thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal that has just surged back into the platform’s Top 10. Michael Bay’s signature blend of high-octane chases, heart-pounding tension, and moral stakes transforms a hijacked ambulance into the ultimate pressure cooker. From desperate decisions to life-or-death consequences, the film immerses viewers in a gripping urban cat-and-mouse through the streets of Los Angeles. Fast, relentless, and emotionally charged, Ambulance proves that sometimes survival and loyalty are the highest stakes of all. Here is everything you need to know about Ambulance – from the plot and cast to reviews and release date. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
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- Title: Ambulance
- Format: Film
- Runtime: 136 minutes
- Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
- Country of production: United States
- Original language: English
- Release date: 2022 (theatrical), Netflix release
- Director / Creator: Michael Bay
- Lead cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González
- Produced by: New Republic Pictures, Endeavor Content, Project X Entertainment, Bay Films
What Ambulance is about
At the center of Ambulance is a veteran struggling to hold his life together and provide for his family. When every legitimate path closes, he reluctantly turns to his estranged brother, a career criminal, for help. What begins as a supposedly clean heist spirals out of control within minutes, forcing the brothers into a desperate escape inside a hijacked ambulance carrying an EMT and a critically wounded police officer.
The film’s intensity doesn’t rely on spectacle alone. It is powered by a moral crisis: how far someone will go when cornered, and how guilt, loyalty and fear collide in a single, claustrophobic space. As the chase unfolds across Los Angeles, the ambulance becomes a moving battleground of survival and conscience, with the atmosphere shifting between suffocating tension and raw emotional stakes.
Cast and main characters
Jake Gyllenhaal brings an unpredictable, combustible energy to Danny, a criminal whose charm barely conceals a growing volatility. His erratic decisions drive the film’s most explosive moments. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Will with grounded vulnerability, portraying a man torn between doing right and doing what he believes he must to save his family. Their dynamic fuels the emotional power struggle at the heart of the narrative.
Eiza González delivers one of her strongest streaming-era performances as Cam, an EMT forced into crisis leadership despite her own guarded detachment. Her presence adds dramatic weight, giving the film a human anchor amid the chaos. Their interplay inside the ambulance transforms a chase thriller into a conflict of personalities and survival instincts.
Is Ambulance based on a true story?
Ambulance is not based on real events. The film is a remake of a 2005 Danish thriller, reimagined with a larger-scale American setting and a more expansive action style.
The reviews
Critics highlighted Ambulance for its relentless momentum, claustrophobic intensity, and almost non-stop action. The film’s pacing rarely gives the audience a moment to breathe, marking it as one of Michael Bay’s most focused thrillers, even amid his trademark stylistic excess. Performances, particularly from Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González, drew praise for grounding the story and adding emotional weight to the spectacle. Audiences responded positively as well, especially fans of high-octane crime dramas, appreciating the escalating tension, the moral conflicts inside the ambulance, and the seamless mix of practical stunts with modern thriller storytelling.
Where was Ambulance filmed?
Filming took place across Los Angeles, using real streets, freeways and industrial zones to recreate the citywide chase.
Behind the scenes
Michael Bay leaned heavily on practical stunts, real vehicle maneuvers, and in-camera effects to heighten realism. In fact, several key sequences were filmed using actual ambulances and precision stunt driving rather than relying on digital simulations. To further enhance the tension, the production emphasized tight, confined shooting spaces, perfectly matching the narrative’s claustrophobic atmosphere.
Why watch Ambulance
If you enjoyed Heat or Baby Driver, this is the right film for you, blending high-speed urban mayhem with a deeply human story about loyalty, fear and impossible decisions. The mix of propulsive action and moral conflict gives Ambulance an edge that distinguishes it from standard chase thrillers.
Ambulance release date on streaming
Available now. Ambulance is already streaming on Netflix starting November 24, 2025. ► Watch on Netflix
