'Fuze' Review
- Cassandra Hager
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 04/24/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Crime. Drama. Mystery. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Roadside Attractions.
The Verdict: A Mistake
David Mackenzie’s Fuze has the trifecta: a star-studded cast, a pulsing soundtrack AND the looming threat of imminent doom. On paper, Fuze should be a high-octane thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat, and it sure tees up that way in the beginning.
It’s London. Major Will Trenton (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his team are called in to diffuse a WWII-era bomb discovered buried under a construction site. It’s a big deal – and the surrounding neighborhoods begin to evacuate. Among the evacuees are a local man named Rahim (Elham Ehsas) and his family, who appear to be some of many civilians caught in the crossfire. At the same time, a group of robbers led by suave criminals Karalis (Theo James) and X (Sam Worthington) take advantage of the chaos by conducting an elaborate jewel heist. Sounds exciting, and it should be. But while Fuze gets off to a promising start it ends in a heap of missed opportunities.
The cast's dedication to their roles combined with on-location filming in London create an authentic, immersive experience. You really do feel like you’re driving down the left side of the road and simply along for the ride. Though it gets props for its genuineness, it’s at this point the story loses clarity. And that only makes it harder to understand who the characters are and what drives them as the chaos kicks into high gear.
Sadly, Fuze falters in its character development. When you’re unsure about the characters or their motives, all the plot twists make it hard to follow what’s happening. Strange tonal shifts made me wonder what type of movie I was even watching. An action film? Buddy crime movie? Even after seeing it twice, I'm still not certain. It’s also one of the weirdest uses of a coda at the end of a movie I’ve ever seen. It makes for an abrupt end that just feels off.
Fuze stays mysterious for so long that you never really get a grip on what's going on, nor do you feel connected to the characters. Bits and pieces feel close to emulating some of the more famous action films, but it's just not enough to make a movie memorable enough to stick in your head past the following business day. The world needs heroes right now, but I’m not certain these guys would put anyone’s mind at ease.
