'Fuze' Review: A Serviceable Heist Thriller That Loses Momentum by the Finale
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
By Dan Bremner - April 3, 2026
The new British heist-thriller from David Mackenzie (Starred Up), and one that, on paper, sounds like an absolute slam dunk. A ticking-clock bomb disposal thriller mashed together with a citywide evacuation and a high-stakes heist running in parallel? It’s basically The Hurt Locker meets Heat, and honestly, why wouldn’t you be on board for that? Originally set for Sky Cinema before getting bumped up to a theatrical release, I had fairly high hopes, especially considering Mackenzie’s track record with Hell or High Water. Unfortunately, while Fuze is perfectly watchable, it ends up feeling like a strangely flat, almost anonymous thriller that never quite capitalises on its own premise.
The core idea is easily the film’s strongest asset. The unexploded WWII bomb forcing a mass evacuation of London creates a natural sense of urgency and scale, while also providing a clever cover for the central heist. It’s a genuinely smart bit of high-concept storytelling that should lend itself to escalating tension and intersecting storylines. And to be fair, the film does a decent job of juggling its multiple threads, bomb disposal teams, police response, and the criminals executing their plan without things becoming confusing or messy. Structurally, it’s solid. And I have to applaud the trailer for really only showing that first 30 minutes or so of the film, as while the selling point element is solved fairly early, it does take several turns and twists after that.
Mackenzie’s direction is, as expected, efficient and controlled. There’s no real fat on the film, and it moves at a brisk pace, keeping things moving along nicely across its relatively tight runtime. The editing does a lot of the heavy lifting, cutting between the different strands in a way that maintains momentum and clarity. On a purely technical level, it’s all very competent, slick cinematography, a pulsing score, and a polished, glossy finish that makes it easy to sit through.
The cast also do what they can with the material. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter) brings a solid, grounded presence as the bomb disposal expert, while Theo James (The Monkey) leans into a slightly more relaxed, charismatic role as the heist leader. There’s a decent dynamic there, even if the script doesn’t give them a huge amount to work with beyond the basics. The supporting cast are similarly reliable, but nothing really stands out.
One slightly baffling inclusion is Sam Worthington (Avatar: Fire and Ash), who shows up in what can only really be described as “Faceless Henchman #3.” It’s the sort of role that makes you wonder why someone of his profile even bothered, there’s nothing for him to do, no character to latch onto, and he’s essentially just another body in the background. It’s emblematic of a wider issue with the film’s character work.
Because that’s where Fuze really fizzles out, there’s just no one here to care about. For a film juggling this many moving parts and supposedly high stakes, the characters are incredibly thin. They function more as pieces in a plot machine than actual people, which makes it hard to feel invested in whether the bomb goes off or the heist succeeds. It’s especially noticeable when you compare it to Hell or High Water, where the characters were the driving force behind the tension. Here, it's all just plot and twists in favour of anything resembling character.
Without going too deep into spoilers on the ending, it veers into something far more over-the-top and slightly ridiculous than the rest of the film, complete with a drawn-out flashback that feels like it belongs in a completely different film. It doesn’t entirely ruin what came before, but it does leave things on a slightly sour, confused note, like the film suddenly panicked and tried to do something “clever” at the last minute. Oddly reminiscent of a previous Aaron-Taylor Johnson film Savages.
What’s most frustrating is that this really feels like a film that should have had more personality. Mackenzie has proven he can bring grit, tension, and character to this kind of material, but here it all feels oddly muted. There’s a very “streaming original” quality to it: competent, watchable, but lacking any real edge or identity. Even on the big screen, it never quite shakes that feeling of being something designed to half-watch on a Sunday afternoon. It's very much a Sky Cinema Original.
Fuze is a disposable, but watchable heist-thriller that starts strong and fizzles out by the end. A solid cast do the best they can with such flat, forgettable characters, and the heist/bomb disposal elements do add tension, but it never really amounts to much. A fine and acceptable British thriller, just not one that stands out or leaves a lasting impression.
'The Fuze' releases in cinemas on April 3, and is coming soon to Sky Cinema.
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