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LA Federal Bank Trust
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was.”
Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Today, few major directors are willing to shoot in Los Angeles because of the high taxes imposed by the city on the major Hollywood studios. A paradoxical situation that often pushes filmmakers to relocate to Canada or Europe where they recreate cities like New York or Los Angeles. Michael Bay, however, filmed the entirety of Ambulance in the City of Angels, taking advantage of the fact that the streets were partially emptied of their inhabitants, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, to orchestrate one of the most spectacular chases in his filmography.
The choice of 92 S Broadway Avenue, to house the headquarters of the fictional bank that Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II rob in the film was made quickly. A historic building that has long served as the headquarters of the Los Angeles Times, the building was vacant when production began. Taking advantage of the facade, on which he had a sign with the name of the bank installed, of the large hall where he set up counters and of the parking lot, Michael Bay could also count on the very central location, in the heart of the city. The starting point of an adventure rich in stunts, mostly performed on site.
To film Ambulance, Michael Bay used drones for the first time. A technology now widely used in the cinema, thanks to which the director was able to wrap up some very daring shots. The scene of the shooting, which also took place in the street, in front of 92 S Broadway Avenue, was inspired by the central sequence of the film Heat by Michael Mann.
Ambulance is Michael Bay’s fifteenth feature film.
92 S Broadway
Integrated into a large office complex, the Los Angeles Times Building stands out with its modern Art Deco style.
The building, designed by Gordon B. Kaufmann, opened its doors in 1935. Immediately acclaimed, the building even received a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition. Harry Chandler, president and CEO of the Times-Mirror Co, called it “a monument to the progress of the city and Southern California as a whole.” The famous newspaper vacated the premises in 2018, leaving the building vacant. It sits where the Los Angeles business district was in the 1980s and 1990s.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.