Ambulance Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs
5. Jake Gyllenhaal's Totally Unhinged Performance
Jake Gyllenhaal is Ambulance's easy MVP and the dictionary definition of an actor who totally understood the assignment, portraying the deranged, bloodthirsty thief Danny with a hammy, unrelenting glee throughout.
Gyllenhaal gives a big, big performance here, cracking wise and screaming at the top of his lungs as circumstances require, which fits perfectly within the massively heightened style and tone of Bay's film otherwise.
You can tell he's having a blast in the role and yet doesn't turn it into a farce that audiences won't bother taking seriously: there's an intensity that still ensures viewers will buy into everything he's about.
It provides yet further proof that Gyllenhaal is one of the most versatile and talented actors of his generation, capable of shifting gears into so many different acting modes as a particular part requires.