A group of criminals use the discovery of unexploded WWII ordnance as cover to rob a bank in Fuze, a London-set thriller from director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) now available on VOD after premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. This no-nonsense procedural feels like the kind of heist film they just don’t make anymore, with shades of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge, and doesn’t let the energy flag for a second of its expedient 96-minute runtime. Don’t let this one slip through the cracks unnoticed: it’s a real hidden gem.
Fuze wastes no time getting started: in the film’s opening sequence, an unexploded bomb is unearthed at a London construction site, triggering a massive evacuation effort led by Chief Superintendent Zuzana Greenfield (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Bomb disposal expert Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his military team are called in to assess the threat
But as a large swath of Paddington is evacuated, a group of criminals led by Karalis (Theo James) quietly begin executing an elaborate bank robbery under the cover of the chaos. Mackenzie and screenwriter Ben Hopkins introduce these threads in rapid-fire fashion, trusting audiences to keep up as the evacuation, bomb investigation, police response, and heist unfold simultaneously.
The no-nonsense setup quickly begins to pay off: Fuze is the kind of procedural thriller that derives suspense not from artificial cliffhangers or endless exposition, but from watching highly competent people perform their jobs under pressure. The film rarely pauses to explain itself, instead allowing viewers to piece together connections as events unfold. Whether it’s Tranter analyzing anomalies in the bomb, Greenfield coordinating citywide logistics, or Karalis’ crew navigating their increasingly complicated robbery, every scene pushes the story forward with remarkable economy.
Hopkins’ screenplay fully commits to plot over backstory; we learn who these characters are only through how they react to the events unfolding onscreen. Tranter’s calm professionalism, Karalis’ shady machinations, and Greenfield’s command presence emerge naturally through their decisions under pressure. The film understands that competence can be characterization, and for most of its runtime it avoids the tendency to stop everything for emotional detours and explanatory monologues.
That approach makes one late decision feel slightly out of place. After constructing such a tightly wound narrative built entirely on present-tense momentum, Fuze concludes with a flashback that reveals previously hidden connections between several key characters. The information itself is useful enough, but the execution feels somewhat perfunctory. Rather than enriching the story, it mostly serves to explain it.
If Mackenzie and Hopkins wanted to bring audiences deeper into these characters’ personal histories, there were probably more elegant ways to do so than a last-minute epilogue that lacks the urgency and propulsion of everything that came before.
Even so, the film’s throwback sensibilities are enormously appealing. Fuze evokes the cool professionalism of classic European crime thrillers from the 1960s and 1970s, particularly Melville’s work (if there was any doubt over its influence, the French director’s name is dropped at a key climactic moment). It never quite achieves the mythic elegance of those masterpieces; Mackenzie’s style leans toward grounded naturalism rather than stylized cool. But in an era dominated by self-consciously quirky crime capers, there’s something refreshing about a thriller this focused, streamlined, and confident.
Taylor-Johnson is especially engrossing Tranter, projecting authority and intelligence without relying on macho posturing; after the embarrassing Kraven the Hunter, this is the kind of movie-star turn that reminds viewers why his name continues to surface as a potential James Bond. James is equally impressive as Karalis, bringing a sly charisma and vulnerability to a role that could easily have been generic. Mbatha-Raw provides a strong anchor as Greenfield, grounding the procedural elements with understated authority, while Sam Worthington is effective in a supporting role as one of Karalis’ fellow robbers.
Mackenzie and cinematographer Giles Nuttgens make excellent use of London’s urban geography, turning evacuation zones, construction sites, police command centers, and bank vaults into interconnected pieces of a giant puzzle. The editing is especially sharp, maintaining relentless momentum without becoming confusing. There are few flashy directorial flourishes, but the craftsmanship is consistently strong, allowing tension to emerge organically from logistics, timing, and competing objectives.
Fuze is the rare modern thriller that understands how much excitement can be generated simply by watching professionals execute a complicated plan. Fast, smart, and refreshingly free of unnecessary bloat, it recalls an era when crime films trusted audiences to follow intricate plots without constant hand-holding. Anchored by strong turns from Taylor-Johnson and James, Fuze is a sharply crafted throwback that deserves to find a larger audience than its quiet release suggests. Sometimes all you need is a great premise, a ticking clock, and filmmakers confident enough to get out of the way.
