Fuze (2026)

This is another film from Sky Original, which immediately set alarm bells clanging in my head when I saw the trailer for it. But I have to concede, the TV giant also backed Michael Mann's last film, Ferrari (2023). Add that to the fact that David MacKenzie is in the director's chair for this London based thriller, and those alarm bells subsided. MacKenzie is a hugely talented director, having helmed the superb prison drama Starred Up (2013) starring Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn, and followed that up with the even more impressive Hell or High Water, which was one of 2016's finest films. But last year's Relay was a real disappointment; a thriller that derails itself halfway through, tries to be something it isn't, and never quite recovers. Despite the numerous plot twists, backstabbing's and double crosses that Fuze throws at you, it's a relief to report that this is MacKenzie back on form. It throws you directly into the action from minute one, and only lets you breathe an hour or so into it. An unexploded WWII bomb has been uncovered on a London building site; Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Major Will Tranter, a bomb disposal officer is called to the scene with a military crew to sort out the mess while the local area is evacuated by the Met police; under the direction of the chief superintendent played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who manages to make something of the rather thin role she's offered.. We meet Rahim (Elham Ehsas) and his family, who live in a tower block that's evacuated and are worrying about a flight they need to catch that evening; and then, after the plot has been set in motion- we have the heist. It's a sub-genre that MackKenzie doesn't need an introduction to, and in the case of Fuze we see a group of men including Theo James and Sam Worthington (having not made themselves known to police during the evacuation) drill their way into a neighbouring bank, while unsuspecting citizens and police focus on the bomb. It's not an entirely original plot, but when you compare it to something like Zack Snyder's dreadful Army of the Dead (2021), Fuze uses its concept to great effect. There's no explanation to any of it until much later on, with no character backgrounds to sink your teeth into, and in the hands of someone else this might might have been a disaster waiting to happen. But Mackenzie knows exactly what he is doing, and wrings an enormously satisfying first hour or so out of the premise. It's tense, it's exciting, and you're genuinely interested to see how it all unfurls and the reasons behind it all. Fuze moves at break neck speed and even when the heist is done and dusted, it doesn't slow down. It slightly loses its way once the initial plot devices have sewn themselves up, with the film's final third a case of who's going to double cross who, and some explanations of why this is all happening. If you were given the time to think about it, you might find that not everything quite adds up, but Mackenzie offers you no moments of musing- this is a rollercoaster that throws you past any questions you might have and into the next scene. Fuze is deftly edited, and only really slows down in its final knockings, as the plot sprawls outwards rather than inwards. There's no major shocks or reveals, but the ending is nonetheless satisfying, and makes everything that's gone before justifiably nuts. It's a great popcorn movie and hugely entertaining, with Mackenzie showing us what a capable director he is. It's no Hell or High Water, but it knows exactly what it is and does it very well. 7.4/10