Matrixiole
Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
hellraiser7
We always depend on certain services to be there whenever we have certain problems we are unable to solve ourselves, but what happens when those services we depend on the most of help turn against us, who are you going to call.This film is one of my favorite suspense thrillers of all time, Larry Cohen is one of my favorite script writers and this to me is my favorite film from him . You never really know what to expect from the guy, each of his film are always something different. This time he's gone into suspense thriller territory and I feel he's really excelled in this area, it's a shame he didn't work in this area more. I really like the plot line which I think I feel is plausible, an ambulance that picks up people to steal their organs to sell. With the issue of missing people and black marketing whose to say this is a scam no corrupt organization has ever thought of or worse it could be happening right now.Characters are good they feel like ordinary people that could almost exist; Eric Roberts I personally think is an underrated actor and to me this is my favorite film with him. I really like his character I love the fact that he's a comic book artist for Marvel which is awesome since I'm a comic book fan and I love most comics from that company. And on a side note Stan Lee has a cameo role in this which was cool and kind of a change of pace as he's made more cameo appearances in Marvel based films than Waldo in the "Where's Waldo" books. But most importantly I like that you have a protagonist that is in a field close to my interests which makes him relatable. You could say in one hell of a way this whole predicament is sort of a wish fulfillment dream come true as he finally gets to live out the fantasy of being a hero like in the comics he works on. His character is smart, has a lot of charisma, not too smooth, sociable, he's the kind of guy you'd like to be friends with. But most of all how human he is, like in every suspense thriller protagonist he's an ordinary person with ordinary powers, he's not some highly trained or muscle-bound action hero, like in one scene there is this gang at the junkyard that gangs up on him. He does his best to defend himself but of course loses the fight. Which makes sense because he's not trained in martial arts, let alone on a realistic perspective you really would lose that fight if ever vastly outnumbered. But all the same he is determined to do the best he can to do what's right with whatever the two best weapons he possesses his brain and heart.Even supporting characters are great like Red Buttons as Morty whom a fun character is, really like the back and forth between both. Morty is also a smart character as he was an ex reporter, despite the guy's age he hasn't lost his edge. He got this gruff charisma to him, doesn't take crap from anyone and is helpful to Eric when Eric needs it. Megan Gallahger as Cindy is great too, really like the chemistry between both, you pretty much already know that she is right for Eric's character, so it's no contest as to where it's heading in the end. But I like her because she's a smart open-minded cop, she doesn't quickly dismiss Eric's story which is always a fundamental mistake most authority figures tend to make in suspense thrillers; she does her job investigate. She got a bit of a sharp wit to her and she's got some toughness, she a bit of a comic book fan which further justifies why both are a good match for each other; and just like Eric and Red she can hold her own against danger, let alone kinda hot.I really love the dialog in this film, Larry Cohen also had some colorful dialog in his films. There are tons of good lines it would take almost more than one watch to hear them all. But also, the dialog just has a lot of witty and cleaver humor but also feels a little grounded as some of what they say feels like what we might say given the circumstances. There is a lot of good humor, but it hits at the right times and places, a couple of scenes I find funny is when Eric is captured we know he's in deep crap and he gouats a gang to take the perpetrators out and escape, the result let's just say either the perpetrators are really good or that gang really really sucks.The suspense is great, from seeing the Ambulance car I really like that it has this strange green glow in its interior making it menacing and evil. I like how there is a bit of a feeling of isolation in this film much like with most suspense thrillers, as Eric along with two of his friends can smell something rotten is going on in Denmark and are the only ones doing something about it. There is a double layer of suspense as you constantly hoping Eric and his allies will be able to find this Ambulance and put a stop to their operations. But also hoping that the Ambulance won't find them first, which would put a stop to their operation permanently. And there are a few sequences of action from the situation at the dance club which was cool, though the highlight was the gurney and foot chase which was a lot of fun, I remember being at the edge of my seat hoping he'll get far away from his pursuers or even in that gurney hoping he won't get hit.Overall the Ambulance is up to speed in thrills and fun, think twice about calling for help, because help might not be on the way.Rating: 4 stars
generationofswine
I was never really censored as a child. It was part of growing up as the typical latch-key kid of the era, and part growing up with a father that loved movies and took me just about everywhere he went.So, when it comes to movies like "The Ambulance" it was a "you stay home, at 10, watch your little sister and I'll go rent a movie for us." Today leaving someone that age at home and in charge would be neglect, back then it was common...and of course dad came home with a B-Movie Gem.Why not? He always treated my sister and I like little adults and not children and his taste in movies always came down to: "I haven't seen something like this before." It's an attitude that stuck with me over the years. If it's entertaining I like it, if it's original, I like it even more.The Ambulance, especially if you are a 10 year-old in 1990 was awesome. I mean, it had Stan Lee in it and that was BEFORE he made cameos in all the Marvel movies. AND, it was a movie about a guy that made comic books. It was like crack for a 10 year-old, I couldn't get enough if it.Plus, it's campy as all get-out. Everything is just a little too earnest, a little too over-done and it makes for just a fun movie to watch. Right down to Darth Vader chomping on his gum in every seen.I know, I know, it's James Earl Jones, but when you are 10, it doesn't matter, he is still Darth Vader.It should be a cult hit and I am sure it has a little following out there somewhere. It's far from a great film, but it's still unique and campy enough to have that cult love behind it.
TheBlueHairedLawyer
You might think it absurd that I rated this unknown low-budget movie with a 10/10, but it's a black comedy and it succeeds in being one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Basically the plot follows a comic book artist (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Cy Curnin, the lead singer in The Fixx), as he tries to solve the mystery of an ambulance that abducts New Yorkers off the streets to operate on and use in place of animals by selling them to laboratories and factories around the world. With the help of a senile but street-smart news reporter and a powerful and smart female cop, the comic artist fights for his own life while trying to prove to the police that the ambulance is doing some dark things to people.What can I say, I loved it! It's got some mild crude humor but most of the hilarious moments are unexpected and not at all in the dialogue, such as a sheriff dying but continuing to munch on his popcorn while he shoots at the freaky ambulance, and the reporter pulling the fire alarm and beating people up to rescue the artist. There are too many moments, even funnier, to list. Don't pass it by just because it looks like a basic medical thriller, because it's much more than that!
Andy (film-critic)
Ripping from the pages of what seems like a Crichton-esquire medical drama, Cohen pulls the myths of diabetes into the world of comic book artists and paranoid cops. Confused? Not to worry, it doesn't get any better than this. Using Eric Roberts in a horrid accent, unknown decisions, and over-sized 80s suits, Cohen attempts to create a fear for an inanimate object that is typically used to save lives – in this film it becomes the source for chaos and death. Couple with the fact that Red Buttons gives us jokes that were made during the early part of creation, James Earl Jones in an unfunny gum chewing scene, and Janine Turner proving there is something she cannot do (i.e. act), Cohen butchers a film that wasn't strong enough in the first place by placing Landis-like jokes in a hodgepodge film. To begin, Roberts is horrible. He reads his lines from the cards behind the camera, half the time doesn't remember what he is to say (winging it is not one of his stronger suits), and builds absolutely no chemistry with anyone else on set. His initial lust for a random woman is … well … random. There is no reason to his sanity and his motive for the remainder of the film is never quite established. Is he a hopeless romantic, or just trying for anything? The fact that he is a comic artist is thrown into the story haphazardly, especially in the beginning where he tries to give out pictures he has drawn of her, only to find her cardboard roommate, following the same steps with the style of acting, drinks a Pina Colata, while muttering "I don't know why I am drinking this, I am a diabetic as well". DUM DUH DAH. These poorly placed moments of either comedy or honest drama are miscalculated from the beginning, forcing us to question what Cohen wanted to do.The words above don't even scratch the surface for what atrocities the acting was in this film. It was worse than a High School drama, nobody cared, and it was apparent from the first time that Roberts opened his mouth. There were no characters. Nobody in this film did something that one could consider saying, "that was fully in his characters realm". Vague was the underlining factor and acting style between these actors. I would have expected this from some, but not from James Earl Jones who proves that you don't have to pass acting 101 to get work in Hollywood. Perhaps I am confused, was Cohen trying to pay homage to another style of film-making or genre? It wasn't apparent in this film, as much as I would like to forget it, the story matched the characters. Diabetes was the joke of the film. While it should have been something that scared us, every time it was mentioned a laugh erupted. What made me happy was to see that at least Ecto-1 was getting work post "Ghostbusters", but even he fell into the Roberts trap. While I believe he was the only one to do his own stunts and physically remember his lines, by the end of the film the ambulance was never quite as frightening as one would hope. The doctor who was committing these crimes was never explained, never questioned, never judged, just evil without motive. Where was the motive in this film? As this review is typed, questions over-inflate my mind. These aren't intelligent questions, but instead, ones that need to be asked to get out of the sinking plot holes in the script. Why would any cop shoot a gun into the air in a dance club? What is the deal with the other death in Central Park? Why was Red Buttons given Bob Hope-styled jokes? Why did Stan Lee approve this film? Questions. Questions. Questions. I need answers, answers, answers."The Ambulance" was a pathetic excuse for a film. There is a reason why it hasn't made it to the honorable level of DVD, and hopefully it never will. Perhaps it has an underground cult following, or Ecto-1 has more fans that I knew, but this was painful to view. James Earl Jones, chewing gum, ranks among one of the worst jokes/images I have ever had to experience in my days of cinema watching. I kept waiting for something, anything to pull this film out of the gutter, but the level of disappointment continue to grew with each unbelievable scene. Nothing made me laugh, nothing frightened me, nothing upset me more than the complacent disrespect for a dangerous and serious disease. If Cohen had done some homework, pushed the level of insanity with the doctor, created a more menacing vehicle, I think we would have had a mediocre little thriller on our hands, but with the choices made, it just turned into depressing garbage. I think Cohen has made his mark, but "The Ambulance" probably set him back for years. From the beginning to the end, there was no potential. This film needed a reset button, from Roberts' amateur accent to the robotic characters that Jones and Gallagher (the tough-as-nails femme cop with a heart of gold), and the jokes of Red Buttons which would make your ears bleed. "The Ambulance" is a hidden film, and with what I just witnessed hopefully will never make it to the surface again.Grade: ½ out of ***** (only due to my respect for Ecto-1)
