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Released by: MGM Limited Edition Collection
Released on: 4/25/2011
Director: Larry Cohen
Cast: Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Megan Gallagher, Red Buttons
Year: 1990
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The Movie:
Larry Cohen already covered killer cops with the Maniac Cop movies he made with Bill Lustig, so why not take the next logical step and cover killer ambulances? It makes perfect sense, right? Say what you will about Cohen but his films are always at least entertaining and with Eric Roberts in the lead here, 1990's The Ambulance, one of his lesser seen pictures, definitely delivers.
Roberts plays a cartoonist named Jake Baker, a New Yorker who completely by chance hits it off with a hot chick he meets on the streets named Cheryl (Janine Turner) shortly before she faints and is whisked off, presumably to a hospital, by an ambulance. Josh heads to the hospital where he figures Cheryl was taken only to learn that she was never admitted there in the first place. Understandably curious as to where his lady friend may have made it off to, he teams up with a NYPD officer named Lieutenant Spencer (James Earl Jones) to try and figure out what's going on here and before you know it they've uncovered the details of a horrific human smuggling operation being run by a bunch of fake doctors and nurses zipping around NYC in a fake ambulance!
As goofy as all of this is, and let's be honest - it's pretty goofy, you can't help but enjoy this one. Cohen keeps things moving at a great pace and does a good job of showing off some seedy late 80s New York City footage, while Roberts puts enough energy and enthusiasm into his role that you can believe his increasing paranoia and distress. He doesn't quite go over the top here, but he comes close in a few scenes, particularly later in the film when the chase is quite literally on. Sporting a pretty serious head of hair and a nicely coiffed mullet, Roberts makes for an unlikely hero (Really? A cartoonist?) but then again, this is a rather unlikely story.
James Earl Jones is amusing in the supporting role, and it's fun to watch Roberts' character try and convince Spencer that, yes, there really is a human smuggling ring going on right under their noses. Of course he doesn't believe him at first and you can't fault him for that, but as the story progresses and things start to add up, they wind up making an interesting team. It might all seem farfetched but Cohen puts enough twisting and turning into the story to keep things fun. The concept itself is also a good one. With Maniac Cop Cohen toyed with our preconceived trust of police officers as a society. Here he plays with our trust of medical workers - we rely on ambulance drivers to save lives and the idea of one being in on something like a human smuggling ring is a rather unsettling one. After all, we don't know who's behind the wheel, we simply trust that they're going to take those in need where they need to go. Cohen's film exploits the idea very effectively. If it's a bit dated and a bit corny, so be it, the movie more than makes up for that with a great pace, a good story, and a strong lead performance.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Ambulance looks okay in this 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are handled reasonably well and there isn't much in the way of print damage to complain about. Some compression artifacts are present in a few of the darker scenes and the movie sometimes looks a bit on the soft side, but overall it's completely watchable.
The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is also pretty decent. There are a few moments where the left to right channel shifts are very noticeable and help add a bit of depth to the mix. Dialogue is clear and there are no problems here. It's not a fancy mix but it gets the job done.
There are no extra features, only a static menu that offers chapter stops.
The Final Word:
A fun cast and some great pacing and writing from Cohen make this one a fun watch. If it's not a classic or the best thing that Cohen's name has been attached to, it's still a pretty cool movie in its own right and a fine little thriller, if a bit goofy in spots. MGM's DVD-R is barebones but it looks and sounds okay - Cohen fans and Roberts fans will appreciate having a good copy of this one.
