Set in contemporary London, the British crime thriller Fuze unfolds after an unexploded World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site, forcing a massive citywide evacuation. Amid the escalating tension and chaos, a daring criminal operation is set in motion—one that uses the evacuation as cover for a meticulously planned heist. As authorities race against time to contain the crisis, alliances blur, and moral boundaries are crossed, the film deftly propels audiences through a series of calculated twists—delivering a wildly entertaining ride.
Twists are an understatement when it comes to Fuze. Part-heist, part-bomb-ticking-thriller; this experience was a wild ride. I literally could not see the next twist coming, as the story drops audiences straight into the thick of the bomb situation. For an hour-and-36-minute runtime, this movie wasted no time getting through the bomb defusal and bank robbery scenes to get to the next story beat.
The main off-putting feeling about this movie was that it felt like we were dropped into the second act of the whole film. By the end of the movie, I could not help but wonder if there were major cuts to the movie’s runtime. Even the editing and quick progressions through narrative beats felt fast, never lingering on anything for too long. Normally, I would be praising an action story like this for its fast pacing, but this was too constrained and glossed over some foundational details.
In a tense movie like this one, the score matters significantly because it heightens the tension. The beginning of Fuze is great because the robbers rarely talk in the first part of the robbery; the score ratchets up the stakes for their illegal activities as they try not to get caught. The ticking sound, reminiscent of a ticking bomb, worked here.
Unfortunately, the score sounded like it was rehashing the exact same orchestral work from beginning to end. Because there was no distinct sound for each major set piece, they could not even use different needle drops for different scenes. The film’s opening song—a DJ-mixed rendition of Ini Kamoze’s World-A-Music iconic lyrics that were famously sampled in Damian Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock—worked to get viewers hyped for this action-thriller story, but then the whole score direction of the film got scattered somewhere.
“Fuze made short work of a fairly straightforward story.”
The best parts of Fuze were its acting and set design. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Sam Worthington were exceptional actors in this movie, proving why they are top-notch actors in the business. I was happy Taylor-Johnson did not have to do any accents in this movie, coming off of Kraven the Hunter, and was able to focus on the physical elements and chemistry with his scene partners.
James’ accent and voice in this role as Karalis solidified his excellent voice work abilities. Without a doubt, James did most of the heavy lifting in this film to sell both the physicality and nerve-wracking stakes of the story. His acting in The Monkey and The Gentlemen has been phenomenal, and Fuze was just another display of that. He brought a certain conniving, calculated, and overconfident energy that worked for his character.
Mbatha-Raw always gives it her all in her performances, as seen in Loki and The Woman in Cabin 10. She genuinely sold herself as a by-the-book police chief with strong intuition. The main issue I had with her character, and the crux of this film, was the lack of connection to this movie’s characters. Because we are dropped straight into the bomb situation, with little to no backstory, the crux of this film was caring about its main cast.
Worthington felt like more of a character actor in this role since he was part of Karalis’ heist crew members, and not a leading team member either. However, he brought a familiar, action-oriented performance to roles like Avatar and Clash of the Titans. Something about him sucking on a chain throughout the film showed he added a little attention to detail for his character.
Fuze made short work of a fairly straightforward story. While moments were crazily convenient for the plot, the twists and turns maintained the overall suspense. I would have liked to see more of these characters fleshed out and a broader score arrangement to amp up the intensity and distinct notes from scene to scene. It is with a heavy heart that I have to determine whether this could easily have been a Netflix or Prime Video movie, but I appreciate that it commits to coming off as a slightly low-budget cinema project. I will say, Fuze is a perfect popcorn movie to enjoy among friends.
