The British heist and crime thriller “Fuze” dropped into theaters April 24. Directed by David McKenzie, “Fuze” is a quick but tense movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat while also showcasing the creative potential of heist movies.
After a construction crew in London finds an old World War II-era bomb buried under their dig site, the British police and military get involved and assess the situation. Immediately, they have to cordon off the surrounding area and figure out how to defuse the quite literal ticking time bomb. Utilizing the chaos and confusion of the bomb, a crew of bank robbers hatches a plan to rob a nearby bank and get away without being caught. The movie follows each of the three groups as they make new discoveries and face further complications in their plans.
The first thing that got me hooked on “Fuze” was the fact that it was a British action movie. I got so used to the American style of action movies, so I thought this film was very refreshing. There aren’t many differences between the two, but the small details like how the movie is set in London and how the police and military interact differently than ours do give the movie a sense of charm. Even the fact that the dialogue is so uniquely British that I sometimes wish I had subtitles or a translator really made me enjoy the movie in a new way. Another thing that got me invested in “Fuze” was that it’s a heist movie, which I’m a total sucker for. The two main things I look for in a heist movie are how well it shows off the actual plan and if the crew that is doing the heist is entertaining. Because the focalization of the movie is nearly equally split between the police, the military and the bank robbers, the audience gets a great look at the intricacies of the robbers’ plan, and the robbers are so enjoyable that I almost felt like I was rooting for them. Since “Fuze” is a heist movie, it is also pretty tense with several unexpected twists that only amplify the suspense created by the bomb defusal process.
One thing that I noticed with “Fuze” is that it’s put in a weird spot due to its run time. In total, “Fuze” is only an hour and thirty-seven minutes long, which, in comparison to other action movies, is kind of short. So “Fuze” went by in a blur due to its fast-paced nature, where no second is wasted in moving the plot along, and I was pretty surprised when it ended so soon. Yet, I don’t think its run time overly takes away from “Fuze’s” potential. In my opinion, a common issue with action movies is that the third act gets bloated and goes on for a lot longer than necessary, but “Fuze” didn’t run into that issue. Other than that, I have very few criticisms of “Fuze.” I’m a fan of nearly everyone’s performances. My favorite character was Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) because I’m just a fan of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and I think his character was surprisingly complex. I wouldn’t say they were spectacular roles, but they played the characters well and got the point across. The soundtrack was also pretty understated. Most of the music was used for atmospheric purposes or to increase the tension of scenes.
When I walked into “Fuze,” I expected it to be a mid-tier action that was only mildly enjoyable, but it honestly blew me away, pun somewhat intended. It isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but I do have to give it a lot of credit for being a really creative and engaging movie that kept me always wondering what was going to happen next.
“Fuze:” ★★★★☆
