A One Mann’s Movies review of “Fuze”. (2026, 3.5*, 15).
It’s not big and it’s not clever, but “Fuze” is one of those middle-of-the-road British thrillers that manages to easily scratch that popcorn itch. Rock up with a few beers and a curry and slap this on the box (once it gets to streaming, which given it’s a Sky Movies production, won’t be long) and you can’t go far wrong for an entertaining evening.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
A team of army bomb disposal personnel, led by Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), gather in a London building site because a massive WW2 bomb has been unearthed by a digger. The whole neighbourhood is evacuated: perfect cover for a team of bank robbers, led by X (Sam Worthington) and supported by diamond-expert Karalis (Theo James), to go in for an audacious heist.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC website: “Very strong language, strong violence, injury detail, threat”.)
Talent:
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Saffron Hocking, Alexander Arnold, Elham Ehsas, Naveed Khan.
Directed by: David Mackenzie.
Written by: Ben Hopkins.
Running Time: 1h 38m.
Review:
Positives:
- This manages to be an enjoyable, cheesy, fun, popcorn heist flick and if you go into it with that mindset you are unlikely to be disappointed. It’s best not to think too deeply about some of the plot points!
- The actors all have fun with their roles, especially the ‘smug git’* Theo James, doing a neat South African accent, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in army-explosives-expert mode. Coincidentally, both of these actors were on my ‘Bond-shortlist’, before attention seems to have moved to Callum Turner: but we will see!
- There are numerous twists in the story which makes it quite fun, however….
Negatives:
- ….sadly, I saw those twists coming from a mile away. (The Illustrious Mrs Movie Man did not, so for that reason enjoyed it even more than I did… she gave it 4 stars.)
- There are some significant plot holes, some of which we can’t go into here for reasons of spoilers. But a few I can mention: why go through all the misdirection rigmarole at the airport…? It just draws police attention to the place! Yes, it makes for a suspenseful shot, but it makes no sense at all!; When pursued by police, why not at least have a different colour of overalls – other than bright orange – to change into?!; At one point there is significant violence meted out, but only one fatality… not even an ouchy head it seems!
- I’m generally a fan of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but here she seems to be given criminally little to do in her role as a police superintendent other than stare, shocked, at a monitor from time to time which, I’m sorry to say, I didn’t find very convincing.
- The script really doesn’t let you decide whether you are on the side of the robbers or the authorities. With a really good heist movie – like “The Italian Job” for example – you are left in no doubt who to cheer for. The film almost needs the Coda at the start of the film, but then – given the structure of the film – it would be impossible to do it that way.
(* I refer to Theo James as the “smug git” due to the insufferable Range Rover advert that sees him roaring through a country estate (at speed past a horse rider, tut) and up the steps of his mansion to his waiting, leather-clad wife… just to return his dog’s ball. “You found it then?” “Of course I did” (with smug smirk). Arrrrggghhh! I hate this with such a vengeance since it showed before each and every Everyman film I saw for about 6 months! Familiarity bred contempt. Poor good-looking Mr James… it’s not his fault! )
Summary Thoughts:
As a phrase from “Love Actually” I am oft found to use in these circumstances, “It’s not bloody Shakespeare”. But I am a bit of a sucker for heist movies, and this one delivers with a certain amount of style, albeit with the script having some rough edges. The director is David Mackenzie, whose past efforts have included 2016’s “Hell or High Water” and last year’s “Relay” – both films that I rated highly.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh9FR7R9QCo.
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
