“Ambulance” barely made a blip in theaters, opening the same weekend as “Sonic 2” last month. After a lackluster theatrical run, the latest from director Michael Bay made a quick jump to video on demand and is now available to watch in the comfort of your own home.

It’s a film that deserves a second chance in the streaming format, a high-octane action thriller that exceeded my rather low expectations. If you are in the mood for a film with a lot of explosions and shootouts brought to life by Bay’s trademark visual flair, then “Ambulance” is the film for you.

As “Ambulance” begins we meet Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a war veteran struggling to make ends meet. Will’s wife is sick and needs a procedure that costs a hefty sum, adding to the financial burdens.

Will visits his estranged adopted brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) looking for a loan. Instead, Danny offers Will the chance to be part of his crew on a bank heist that could net up to $32 million.

Will reluctantly agrees to the job, which goes awry when a Los Angeles police officer goes in to ask out a teller only to discover what is going on. A shootout occurs, leaving Will and Danny on the run and the police officer injured. As fate would have it, all three wind up in an ambulance together being chased through the streets with an EMT named Cam (Eiza González) desperately trying to save the police officer’s life.

The film’s best sequence comes early, with Bay crafting a heist and subsequent escape quite effectively. It’s a sequence that almost feels like a homage to Michael Mann’s “Heat” – a highly tense stretch that shows Bay at his very best.

But like most Bay films, the director’s tendency to become overindulgent creeps in as well – especially in the second half. “Ambulance” is a remake of a 2005 Danish film that actually clocks in 30 minutes shorter than this 136-minute run time. Bloating the run time makes the film sometimes feeling like it is spinning its wheels with a seemingly never-ending chase.

Fortunately, Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen and González are good enough in their respective roles to keep this from totally jumping off the rails.

They work well together and get a lot of mileage out of limited space, making the audience care what happens to everyone. They also hold everything in place long enough for the film to get its mojo back in a satisfying final act.

“Ambulance” isn’t the kind of movie you think too much about. It’s better to just buckle in and enjoy the ride. It winds up being an enjoyable enough diversion that is better than you might initially expect.

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Directed by: Michael Bay

Rating: R for intense violence, bloody images and language throughout

Playing at: Available for streaming on video on demand

Grade: B