Fuze

We've seen films that center around the threat of a bomb in a city, and also have seen films about war, specifically in around the Middle East, but we haven't seen the combination of the two, which is where "Fuze" was born. This carries a whole new meaning of the term, 'a nail-biter'.

Set in contemporary London, "Fuze" unfolds after an unexpected World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site, forcing a massive citywide evacuation headed up by Major Will Tranker (Aaron Taylor Johnson). Amid the escalating tension and chaos, a daring criminal operation headed up by X (Sam Worthington) and Karalis (Theo James) 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. 

Others to round out the cast are Elham Ehsas as Rahim, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Zusana, Saffron Hocking as Dootsie, Laurie Duncan as Wardy, Hannah Collins as PC Marks, Matt Beverage as PC Turner, Shaun Mason as Y and Nabil Elouahabi as Z. 

This was directed with tenacity, grit and incredible intensity by David Mackenzie ("The Last Great Wilderness" '02, "Young Adam" '03, "Asylum" '05, "Hallam Foe" '07, "Spread" '09, "Perfect Sense" '11, "Tonight You're Mine" '11, "Starred Up" '13, "Hell or High Water" '16, "Outlaw King" '18, "Relay" '24) plus TV and shorts. This became a great character study between Will, Karalis and X which is talented directing. These characters obtained their own distinct personalities and although these actors are talented, this was fine directing. Look at this filmmaker's resume and you'll see that Mackenzie was very much in his zone. It was cleverly written by Ben Hopkins ("Simon Magus" '99, "Janice Beard" '99, "The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz" 2000, "The Market: A Tale of Trade" '08, "Napoli: City of the Damned" (TV movie) '09, "Lost in Karastan" '14, "Hasret: Sehnsucht" '15, "Marionette" '19, "In Search of Monsters" '21, "Inside" '23, "Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie" '24, "The Narrative" (co-writer) '26). The way this writer was able to intertwine the story of the mass evacuation and of the bank heist and still was able to tie them together was amazing. However, was this flawless? No, since there were a couple of places that seemed a bit disjointed, it did have a tendency to meander a little. But otherwise, this story kept its audience on the edge of there seats and the twists and turns will keep anyone riveted. 

The directing and writing were implemented well, but the combination of the three stars, James, Worthington and Taylor-Johnson kept you glued to the screen. The raw intensity between them and the supporting cast was real, convincing and compelling.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: R                                             97mins.