The Ambush Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Pierre Morel
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Marwan Abdulla Saleh, Khalifa Al Jassem, Mohammed Ahmed, Abdulla Saeed Bin Haider, Saeed Alharsh
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Arab Emirates
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 52 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2022

The fact that The Ambush is a United Arab Emirates co-production with France may lead some to make assumptions about the quality and level of the filmmaking, but The Ambush has the polished look of a Hollywood film. Much of this comes from the level of the production values and director Pierre Morel, best known for large-budget Hollywood films like Taken and From Paris with Love, not to mention the impressive French action film, District B13. The Ambush is a much more serious film, however, tracing the true events in a military conflict between the UAE military and armed militants who ambush three Emirati soldiers on patrol in hostile territory.

 

While on routine patrol in a heavily fortified vehicle, Ali (Omar Bin Haider), Bilal (Khalifa Al Jassem) and Hindasi (Mohammed Ahmed) are ambushed by an organized group of militants. After their vehicle is disabled, the UAE military deploy a rescue mission which turns into a full-on battle. The initial ambush proves to be a trap designed to bring more targets for the enemy to attack. The resulting plot is action-packed from beginning to end, almost to a fault.

 

While the action itself is impressively staged and filmed, the preoccupation with the spectacle of this violence does detract from the character development. There is also not much in terms of plot or engaging dialogue. At the same time, if military action is enough to satisfy your viewing needs, The Ambush delivers plenty. It is well-shot and exciting from beginning to end, with a simple premise similar to Black Hawk Down or some other popular battle-heavy Hollywood war films.

 

The emphasis on action could have provided ample opportunity for some special features about the film’s stunt work and practical effects, but instead the Blu-ray release of The Ambush is disappointingly sparce. Other than an option English-language dubbing of the film for subtitle-averse viewers, there is nothing to speak of in terms of special features.

 

Entertainment Value: 7.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance:  6/10

Special Features: 1/10