The Ambush - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Ambush



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
I’m always fascinated by non Asian indie fare that Well Go USA brings into the country. The vast majority of their foreign films are of Asian influence (as that was mainly their goal when they started), but Well Go USA has a fun habit of importing films from other various countries, including The Ukraine, Russia, Pakistan, and now something Arabic in nature. I’m going to admit that Arabic film is not my forte, but I’m willing to give anything a watch, and I was really eager to check out The Ambush when I saw the trailer drop. My only fear was that it was going to be so low budget and awkward that it felt like your typical Hollywood DTV film, or something like the Israeli films of the 90s that just looked like they were shot on a handicam. Color me surprised when The Ambush turned out to be a very competent war flick, with great cinematography, competent acting, and some impressive military shootouts.

I’m not up to date with ALL the skirmishes and incidents of unrest in the modern world, so I was actually sort of glad that The Ambush uses a fairly complete opening scrawl text overlay to set up the conflict that we’re going to be dropped into. It gives just enough background to set the players in place, and gives foreign audiences the ability to be dropped right into the film without having to spend hours researching online to really get all the nuances of the conflict (let alone basic frame work).

Supposedly this is based upon a true store (but I really have zero idea on how accurate to reality the narrative is) but the film drops us into a peacekeeper troop of UAE soldiers (United Arab Emirates) who are deployed to patrol and take out a terrorist cell near them. Things are seemingly going just as planned as a scout armored vehicle identifies the terrorists by intentionally falling into an ambush so that the aerial vehicles can pinpoint the mortar setups and subsequently send in an air strike and wipe everything out. However, the terrorists get off a few lucky shots and incapacitate the armored truck, trapping the soldiers inside before they can actually make their planned escape. With enemies all around them, wounded men in the truck, and the fact that air support is 22 minutes out when it’s only going to take 10 minutes for them to be killed, it’s now up to the handful of soldiers to somehow survive until their backup can get there.

The film may seem a bit well worn and rote if you’re a fan of military action movies, but the story plays out rather competently. There’s a lot of tension as the 4 soldiers hole up in their vehicle, while terrorist forces pepper them with home made bombs, smoke devices and AK fire. Also, it gives us an interesting perspective on world affairs, as it shows UAE forces fighting what are described as Islamic terrorists in a region that one would generally just say “aren’t they all Islamic extremists” (generalizing there). All in all, a solid film with good acting, some very competent gun play, and a rather tense situation that should appeal to anyone who loves modern military action movies.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA





Video:

Shot digitally and released on Blu-ray in a 2.39:1 AVC encode, The Ambush looks quite striking. I can’t find out WHERE the movie was filmed or what cameras were used (let along the master resolution), but it looks very modern with white dusty tones and various shades of camo grays blended in. There’s a few splashes of primary colors such as when Ali calls home to his wife and she’s in the clothing store, but overall it’s a very grim and desert camo toned flick. Fine details are superb, especially in the outdoor shots which are razor sharp and extremely revealing. There’s a few times inside the humvee that shows banding (especially with all the smoke, smoke and black levels are always dodgy on the Blu-ray format), as well as a few bouts of digital noise to deal with in the desert mirages. But other than those really small issues, this is a fantastic transfer.








Audio:

Just like Shout Factory, Well Go USA is pretty consistent with producing a pair of foreign language tracks and the English Dub for their imports (5.1 DTS-HD MA and 2.0 Dolby Digital lossy for each language), and it’s really a matter of which language stands out to you. I don’t hide that I tend to gravitate towards the native language track for purity’s sake, but the English dub isn’t bad at all. There’s some very strong interactions throughout where gunfire and explosions dominate the 6 speakers with some serious authority. Bass is really deep and guttural, slamming you back into the chair when mortar rounds pop off, or a vehicle explodes. Surrounds are very active throughout, not only in the action sequences, but in the middle of the city, or with simple ambient effects (such as flame crackling) during quieter bits. Dialog is crisp and clear as can be, with a strong focus in the center of the room. Again, nothing to complain about, a very competently done mix.












Extras:

• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews of other Well Go USA Films

Final Score: ​

The Ambush was WAAAAAAAAAAY better than I expected. I’m not sure it’s entirely unique enough to be raved about, but I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from the Indie film, but came out pleasantly surprised nonetheless. The action is quite well done, the plot may be a tad rote, but all in all it gripped me enough to satisfy the military action lover in myself. The Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing too, although you can expect the typical bare minimum extras that most films from Well Go USA get given. Worth checking out in my humble opinion.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Omar Bin Haider, Marwan Abdullah, Mohammed Ahmed, Manssor Al-Fili
Directed by: Pierre Morel
Written by: Brandon Birtell, Kurtis Burtell
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Arabic: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Arabic, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 102 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: December 13th, 2022

Recommendation: Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will check it out once available on netflix/amazon prime.