The director of “Hell or High Water” being attached to this built some excitement, but the experience in this new crime drama from David Mackenzie isn’t on the same level without writer Taylor Sheridan.
Mackenzie’s new film centers on a World War II bomb being discovered in the London metro area by a construction crew. Following the discovery, the military is called in, with bomb defusing specialist Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) leading the examination of the explosive.
With threat of the bomb potentially going off, the police department, under the leadership of chief Zuzana (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) evacuates the nearby area. Meanwhile, a bank heist is taking place during the distraction including characters X (Sam Worthington) and Karalis (Theo James).
There are some interesting concepts at play in “Fuze,” but the execution is really off in this one. A heist involving such a big distraction is intriguing. However, the more the film explores the “how” of what’s taking place, the more nonsensical and convoluted the whole affair becomes.
By the time everything is revealed, presented as a twist, it’s almost laughable. It has one wondering if maybe the film would have worked better had it not been set up as a twist in the first place.
As it is, the fact that the movie is trying to keep some things under wraps for the big reveal works against the picture. The audience is introduced to a host of characters who we barely get to know, so there’s little reason to invest or root for the people on screen. There’s also the reality that it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s really going on quickly.
So, the twist doesn’t really work, but the characters viewers are meant to connect with aren’t fully explored because the film is trying to keep the audience at bay for the big reveal. It’s a mess.
But, to be fair, scenes involving tense situations, such as the bomb potentially going off as mechanisms are tested, or the heist crew carefully breaking into the vault, offers a bit of suspense and excitement.
For the most part, though, the film stumbles through its narrative with a plethora of dull sequences. Again, there’s not really much tangible to latch on to. The film wants a viewer to be sold simply on the threat of the bomb and the heist to keep the twist in play. But it results in a lot of bland scenes of police and military babble.
As seen with “Hell or High Water,” Mackenzie is a director who knows how to shoot some action and create cinematic moments. That’s the case again here, too. A get away scene is well crafted, and the film manages to feel big in scope when capturing the empty streets because of the bomb threat.
Acting-wise, the film has a procedural feel, which both helps and hurts the picture. Mbatha-Raw and Taylor-Johnson are both portraying people of authority, meaning they have to stay calm, composed and collected. It fits their roles, but it doesn’t lend much character to their characters. Worthington and James meanwhile, are rather flat as the robbers.
“Fuze” is a movie presenting a fine premise but things don’t come together nicely. Much of the movie is forgettable, as its characters don’t have much personality and aren’t well explored, meaning scenes in between bomb scares are lifeless. The twist doesn’t pan out well either and the whole plan that’s revealed is, to put it simply, dumb. Because of a hint of fine direction, it’s not a total loss. 2.25 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 