The Ambulance

Josh Baker (Eric Roberts) is a cocky comic book artist who is working with Stan Lee at

Marvel Comics, that would be enough for most peope but Josh also has his eyes on a mysterious women he sees everyday.

One day he decides enough is enough and he decides that enough is enough and he has to go to speak to her. He does so and Cheryl (Janine Turner) is less than keen on him. They walk and talk. Cheryl becomes weak and collapses - she is going into a diabetic coma. Josh gets an ambulance for her and tells her he will come and see her once he has finished work.

When he goes to check on her in the hospital he finds out she is not there.
Nor is she in the other hospital he goes to. The ones he phones can't help him either.

Thus begins his quest to find the missing Cheryl. It is a shame she is lost because she had a fine pair of legs.

What Josh doesn't know - but we do is that Cheryl has been kidnapped for medical tests. As the mad doctor (Eric Braeden - who although he only has a few scenes he does his bit to eat the scenery - he also later goes on to make over 1500 appearances in daytime soaps) says "Yes, I will eventually kill you, but I assure you you'll be in perfect health when you die."

Josh goes to the police but detective Spencer, gum chewing manically smiling James Earl Jones, isn't interested. Who can blame him Josh is all mullet, lip and open shirts.
Josh keeps looking, stumbles across Cheryl's diabetic flatmate (must make things so much easier). He is with her when she is kidnapped by the old fashioned ambulance.

At home he wakes up at his drawing board and discovers he is ill, there is something wrong. Going to his neighbour isn't a good idea as she calls for an ambulance. Josh is worried.
He wakes up in a real and propper hospital care of Spencer - who still doesn't believe him. The nurse doesn't like him either.
Elias Zachari (Red Buttons) is sharing the hospital room with Josh, overhears the story turns out he's an old school newspaper reporter. While Elias doesn't like Josh's story - not gory enough - he can still smell a scoop. The events later in the evening add to that as the ambulance drivers sneak into the hospital to capture Josh. Elias' quick thinking saves the day and they are off on the run to the newspaper offices to research and tell the story.
At the newspaper they see the ambulance, and in the tradition of these things do the sensible thing - go and look at it. Elias tries to take some photos but his camera doesn't work (it will do in a minute but he'll wish it didn't), Josh goes to phone Spencer, he gets put through to him and he explains what is going on and tells him to bring back up. Spencer laughs at this (and in a minute will wish he hadn't).
As Josh is on the phone Elias takes his, now working, camera back to the ambulance and takes a photo or two. That brings out the drivers. Elias is captured, but not before he has dropped the roll of film, that sly old fox.
Josh realises that the ambulance and Elias have gone - what will he tell Spencer when he arrives? Not to worry as Spencer sees the ambulance going in the opposite direction to him and gives chase. Does he call for back up? Of course not. Should he have done so? You betcha.
To say James Earl Jones makes the most of his death scene would be an understatement. A gum chewer to the last.

This brings Malloy (Megan Gallagher) more to the fore, she is a policewoman and she is going to help Josh . From here on in the pace picks up. Josh goes hunting for junkyards that may have supplied the old ambulance, that leads to him being beaten up by a gang - for no other reason other than they wanted to have a gang in the film. The ambulance comes and picks Josh up. Although it is day when they catch him it is night when he escapes out the back still tied to the guerney. Then there is a chase around the Central Park reservoir, Josh gets picked up by the police for a different crime.
Whooosh.
Malloy comes to his aid and he gives her a clue. She works out what it means and goes off in search. Again no back up and no telling people where she is going. Not to worry Malloy is packing and manages to prevent becoming a victim and Josh with the police arrive just in time.
Cheryl and Elias are rescued.
It is not a happy ending as Cheryl has a boyfriend and Josh has done all of this for nothing.

Lust is still in the air and Malloy and Josh head off home for a bit of hanky panky (he bounces back does this boy).
However as with all these tales there is still one shock to come and it is The Doctor at the wheel of the ambulance trying to kill Malloy and Josh. He gets Malloy, Josh escapes and then taunts The Doctor who drives at him and to his death.

Josh and Malloy are driven off in a real ambulance.
Film ends.
It is a campy dated fun.
Thrills and spills. Quips and overacting.
Not quite a cult classic but it is a film that all fans of thrillers and stalk and slash movies should check out. There is no real gore, the violene is comic book stuff. It wears its low budget status proudly and does a lot with it.

This is worth seeing just for Eric Roberts: the hair and the dress sense is so of its time - you are just glad we have moved on.
Worth searching out.
IMDB gives it a 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes give it 60% from the critics and 32% of people want to see it.

Directed By:Larry Cohen

Written By:Larry Cohen
Released: 1990
Length: 95 Minutes

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

You can buy it here but it is probably better to go and rent it from your local dvd shop.