finlayson-m

This movie is for all the people who were enthralled by Runaway Train and wondered what happened to its director. Well, he eventually made Tango and Cash; which has its time and place, but he also made this bonafide work of greatness. It isn't a kinetically fierce work of cinema like Runaway Train, but there is so much else here for the viewer to mull over. A character driven story where none of the characters are wholly endearing, but all of them are vulnerable and forgiveable. While the movie grips you with its stark examination of colliding cultures, it never for a moment lets you forget that everyone involved is a real person.

I guess there aren't enough of us for people to care, but seriously, don't watch Ambulance if you suffer from queasy cam induced motion sickness like me. This is not Paul Greengrass-style shakiness, which also makes me ill, but many, many vertiginously swooping crane shots. In fact, I don't think any movie has been shot like this before, you often literally feel like you're riding a rollercoaster. I hope no movie is ever shot this way again. Also, the movie itself is pretty bad, despite the presence of highly respected actors. I've stayed the course before on other movies that made me feel sick because of the way they were shot. But I'm getting old and I've had some health scares recently, so I was feeling fragile. I walked out a little after the halfway through mark.

I've been having trouble sleeping because of illness, and was looking for that one show which would bring me a little comfort and peace of mind. After seeing Levitt promoting Super Pumped, I went back to this one. There is nothing I like more than soul searching dramaturgy done well, and here we have it in spades. Mr Corman himself is also incredibly identifiable to me with his anxieties, his chauvinism, and his unpursued dreams.

I was pretty disappointed to see it's been cancelled.

Also, must remember to keep distrusting IMDb user reviews.