AMBULANCE

Jake Gyllenhaal     Yahya Abdul-Mateen II     Eliza Gonzalez     Moses Ingram

Garret Dillahunt     Jackson White     Cedric Sanders

             There are thrillers, and there are thrillers.  But when the plot is so outlandish it becomes utterly unbelievable, the thrill goes…goes…it’s gone.  Imagine a case in which a criminal (38 banks robbed in the last 10 years) is so good-hearted he wants to aid his adoptive brother by stealing money from a bank so the man’s wife can get medical treatment.  Right from the beginning, the bank job has problems, after which an ambulance is commandeered with an EMT and a wounded policeman aboard.  All the while the two heist brothers Danny (Gyllenhaal) and Will (Mateen) argue with each other repeatedly.              

         Sometimes they are arguing with Kim (Gonzalez) the EMT attempting to treat the wounded officer while the ambulance is careening around the city.  The police and an FBI agent are after them with helicopters overhead, and they bicker as well.  There’s so much machismo all around trying to establish who’s the alpha dog, one could almost smell the testosterone.

           One of the most bizarre sequences is when Kim decides the wounded officer needs to have surgery, and Danny knowing that it’s crucial for them to keep the man alive, whips through her phone and finds the names of doctors who can guide her through it.  The one he gets hold of has to consult two trauma surgeons on the golf course to assist.  Can you believe she is able to get the bullet out?  Fantastic.

         Normally, I’m more lenient with films in which a favorite star like Jake Gyllenhaal is involved; however, this is a time where about all I remember of his character is that he is yelling.  None of the nuanced, uncanny portrayals that are his usual show of talent and skill.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Eliza Gonzalez are given a few more chances to show other kinds of emotions, which were a relief, and they both do well.

            A few humorous moments are in the film to pull up some laughs in the audience, but basically, this is a two+ hour car chase with constant vociferous challenges.     

              Producer/Director Michael Bay is known primarily for his six Transformer (2007-2018) movies, none of which were well received, except for Bumblebee in 2018.  I haven’t seen all of them, but of the ones I am familiar with, I was struck by his tendency not to portray strong human emotions in a convincing light.  It’s the same here, where all the characters are pretty much one-dimensional, stereotypic figures. 

There is almost nothing to recommend in this overly long movie consisting primarily of an endless ambulance/car/helicopter chase with implausible scenes in the forefront.

 

Grade:  F                              By Donna R. Copeland

6 UNDERGROUND

Ryan Reynolds     Melanie Laurent     Manuel Garcia-Rulfo     Adria Arjona     Corey Hawkins

Dave Franco     Ben Hardy

     Six characters so closeted, when someone says, “Who are you?” the answer is, “No one.” They like to see themselves as “ghosts.”  Number One (Reynolds) (they use numbers, rather than names) who essentially functions as the leader (and founder, perhaps) has strict principles to live by, which precludes forming attachments, having cell phones, or leaving any digital trace of their footprints.  (This code is bandied about from time to time, with some squirming against it, and some openly questioning it; but One always defends it.)  They’re a “Delta” force doing risky, undercover work; but unlike the Navy Seals, for instance, they are not attached to a government.  It’s part of their creed that they take orders from no one and make their decisions to take action all on their own (vigilantes).  This also means that things like “due process” and written laws of justice are not a part of their value system.  They do believe that if they see broad social injustice—such as a despotic leader exploiting his people—they have a right/duty to intervene through whatever means it takes.

     This system presents a wondrous opportunity for filmmakers (Michael Bay, director) to devise a point-by-point account of the group’s derring-do against a backdrop of luxurious settings (e.g., Florence Italy and Hong Kong), on gigantic yachts, in elegant hotels, and so on.  It’s like a James Bond film, but here you have six/seven heroes/heroines to gaze upon.  Likewise, it’s an opportunity for a macho extravaganza of destruction.  (Thank goodness, they spared Michaelangelo’s David sculpture in Florence!)  It’s the cinematographer’s (Bojan Bazelli) job to show off the visual elegance of these scenes, accompanied by Lorne Balfe’s reverberating score.

     6 Underground is a libertarian’s wet dream about heroic acts being achieved outside the strictures of authority and government.  It’s likewise a video-game-like lavish display of machismo—executed by women (thank you very much!) as well as men.  I do appreciate females being portrayed with as much authority as the males. And it even shows their superiority at times when two males can’t keep from fighting like little boys.

     As in many action films, 6 Underground is heavy on the car chases and heroics at the expense of story and character development. Maybe this was meant to be more tongue-in-cheek than I got, but, to me, Ryan Reynolds did not fit with the hard-edged character he was meant to be.  Just to look at him physically, is to see a nice and gentle guy who could pull off Deadpool beautifully.  I think a more sharp-edged—going toward the cynical—look in the actor would be more apropos in this case.

     I can say that on the one hand, 6 Underground is entertaining in places and has unexpected elements, and I always like to see the evil man get his due.  On the other hand, envisioning a vigilante force outside of law exerting its judgment (including killing) without benefit of a lawful trial makes me uneasy.  I’m also against the wanton destruction shown during much of the film, especially when cars are careening every which way and bashing into other cars, buildings, and historical sites along the streets in Florence and elsewhere. These scenes become tediously repetitious.

     Aside from Reynolds—who I think was miscast, although he is a good actor—Melanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Corey Hawkins, Adria Arjona and Dave Franco enrich the plot and inhabit their characters well, especially Laurent, Hardy, Hawkins, and Garcia-Rulfo.  

If you’re up to a video-game kind of movie, this will please you.  But if you have a problem with vigilantism and absurd car chases, find another film to watch.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

Mark Wahlberg   Anthony Hopkins   Josh Duhamel   Laura Haddock   Isabela Moner   Stanley Tucci   John Turturro   Peter Cullen

Reno Wilson   Gemma Chan   Jim Carter

     We start out with a bit of history of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table—with the addition of “knightly” autobots who stand behind each knight and who will help the English save their country from the Dark Age invaders.  They’re at a standoff with the invaders and are calling for Merlin the Magician, for aid.  He is on his way to engage a dragon—ancestor of the autobots—to align with the English to renew their partnership and save England.

     Fast forward to modern times.  The hero-bot Optimus Prime is missing, and autobots—which have been outlawed on earth—keep falling mysteriously from the sky.  Some land in a Bot junkyard overseen by Cade Yeager (Wahlberg), who regards the autobots as friends.  He is trying to repair their injuries by restoring lost parts.  Unbeknownst to him, a young girl Izabella (Moner) has lost her family and is now living in the junkyard, having made friends with the bots, especially Squeeks, trying to restore them just like Cade is.  But when he discovers she’s there, he tries to get rid of her, saying she is just a kid.  Little does he know, she is his persistent heir apparent, and will turn up intermittently throughout the film.  Needless to say, in this testosterone-filled fantasy, it takes him a long time to realize her value.

     Earth is in a state of panic now as it has realized that the autobots are attacking earth, and doesn’t really know why.  We the audience do; it has something to do with intrigue among the Bots.  Optimus Prime is devastated to find his beloved planet Cerberon—his home—has been destroyed.  Quintessa (Chan) the sorceress tells him that to save his planet he must go to earth, where a valuable artifact is buried.  If he brings it back to her, Cerberon will be restored.  He is bewitched, so although his reclaiming the artifact will destroy the earth, his ally, he proceeds to recapture it.

     Back on earth, Cade gets a message that he is to meet with Sir Edmund Burton (Hopkins) in London, and is transported to his estate by his trusted Bot Cogman (Carter).  The earl Burton explains his historical connection to a family descended from Merlin, one of whose ancestors has passed down the power of the artifact sought by the Autobots.  She is Vivian Wembley (Haddock).  She and Cade, who has a significant medal picked up from the junkyard wrapped around his arm signifying that he is the last knight, must recover the artifact, thereby saving earth.

     Just as in all action movies these days, multiple intrigues and battles ensue between the autobots and earth, the central struggle being the recovery of the artifact to the rightful heir. 

Michael Bay has directed all five of the Transformers renditions, and his experience is evident in this production, in that the film perpetuates the theme of humans vs. robots, has impressive special effects, and recruits fine actors to play the roles.  Where it lapses is its repetition of well-worn themes and too many battles in which the protagonists are not well defined.  This rendition could have been reduced from its 148 minutes by eliminating extraneous elements, such as the Izabella character trailing after Cade and the spoof of a bad scientist.  Why discount science in this day and age??!!  Humor bits could also have been eliminated:  Vivian’s mother and aunts trying to marry her off and wise cracks made by many characters are tired jokes that fall flat.

     Parents, please don’t bring your children to this movie unless they’ve shown a particular interest in robots and have loved previous Transformer movies.  A measure of interest for children is the 20+ exits/entrances during the movie by people from my row, mostly by children. 

This is a continuation of the theme of humans vs. robots in the Transformers series.

Grade:  C                   By Donna R. Copeland

13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

John Krasinski   Max Martini   Pablo Schreiber   Dominic Fumusa   David Constabile   James Badge Dale

          13 Hours is based on the accounts of five members of a special operations force [Global Response Staff (GSR)] that was contracted by the CIA to provide back-up security in Benghazi, Libya, written up in a book by Mitchell Zuckoff.  The team is sent to a “temporary diplomatic outpost” which they find woefully inadequate in security measures and they question the competence of the local guards.  According to the book and the film, the chief officer (played by David Constabile) is dismissive of them, questions their judgment, and is critically slow in making emergency decisions.  This is alarming when we learn of the experience and judgment previously shown by the individuals in the GSR.  The film is not meant to be a political statement or exploration of cultural elements of the September 11, 2012, attack; it’s a reflection of what the team experienced in the operation, their doubts, their pain, and love for one another; and, finally, reveals a certain amount of resentment that the country did not fully acknowledge their heroism.

          For the average viewer, the film is difficult to watch, in that it’s like reading a warrior’s diary that only talks about battles, the tediousness of waiting for the next round—whatever that may be—and the frustration of bureaucracy and an incompetent leader.  Yes, we see a number of sieges taking place, the infrared views of terrorists sneaking up to the compound, and endless exchanges of barrages of bullets and mortars, but through the lens of a jumpy camera in the dark, which reveals little about who the figures are. 

        I find that the biggest fault of this film is that it offers little about the political/social context in which the action takes place.  It seems like the GSR team is so much more capable than the CIA and the U.S. government powers that be—and that may very well be true.  However, the film does not provide the viewer with any validation of the premise and does not go into any of the complexities involved in personal, cultural, or international terms. 

Direction by Michael Bay, cinematography of Dion Beebe, and the portrayals by actors John Krasinski, Max Martini, and David Constabile are OK, especially the brother-to-brother talks about what everything meant in the end; I just wanted more.  I am glad to have heard the account of this trying time, however.  Maybe I’m expecting too much.  Wouldn’t it have been great if the film could have explained more than what the government-appointed review board and Senate/House Committees uncovered?

Battle scenes galore without much elucidation.

Grade:  C                         By Donna R. Copeland