The first thirty minutes or so of Fuze is one of the most nerve-wracking, suspenseful, and, dare I say, smart opening acts of a robbery-heist thriller that I have seen in quite some time. That’s what happens when you put the director of the Academy Award-winning Hell or High Water and the writer of the well-received Inside in charge of a genre picture.
Then, of course, for some head-scratching reason, the makers of Fuze double down on exposition at the end of the third act, complete with end title cards in a fictional film that is not even loosely based on a true story, which undercuts the white-knuckle tension and suspense the first 90 minutes generated in the first place.
What is Fuze About?
Aaron-Taylor Johnson in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Theo James and Sam Worthington in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Theo James and Sam Worthington in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Sam Worthington in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Theo James in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Aaron-Taylor Johnson in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
Theo James in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
In the grand scheme of things, I would tell the audience to leave the theater or stop watching once the film cuts to black at the 85-minute, 41-second mark, because it accomplishes its goals just before then. If you keep watching, you may feel cheated or have the enjoyment ripped out of your hands for no apparent reason.
The story follows Major Will Tranter (Kraven’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who, along with his team, is sent into Paddington after a World War II bomb is discovered at a construction site. That includes Military Sergeant Keane (Saffron Olivia Hocking) and their newest team member, Corporal Martin (The Outpost’s Alexander Arnold).
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Their team is called in by Chief Superintendent Greenfield (Surface’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw) because they have expertise with older military devices. The police evacuate the Hyde Park area, where an immigrant family, including Rahim (Elham Ehsas) and his parents. They have to delay their trip to the airport, because their passports are still inside the apartment.
Fuze’s Review
Aaron-Taylor Johnson in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
This is a complicated operation for Martin, who is unaware that there is a heist underway inside the blast zone, one that may or may not be connected to the explosive device found at the construction site. Led by Karalis (Theo James), his team, which includes Avatar’s Sam Worthington, operates beneath a major London intersection to steal money, jewels, and who knows what else
Directed by David Mackenzie (Netflix’s The Outlaw King) and written by Ben Hopkins, the thriller does a great job of concealing its intentions. The police side and the criminal side never intersect until the second act. Both threads feature such strong, compelling plotting that you don’t know who to trust. Even using political viewpoints to manipulate the viewer.
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The plotting is meticulous from a script standpoint, especially in the first forty-five minutes, which play out like two simultaneous, single-take, contained films. Mackenzie and Hopkins understand the value of tone and pace. This makes Fuze gripping, toying with their audience by leaving them unsure of what will happen next.
Is Fuze Worth Watching?
Sam Worthington in Fuze (2026) | Image via Roadside Attractions
At that point, after you’ve watched enough movies, certain things may start to bug you. For instance, James feels too lightweight an actor to convincingly remember his hand was broken by a wrench from scene to scene. Drones are introduced, which makes you wonder why they didn’t all leave together when attempting to escape in the first place.
Then there’s the issue of a character returning, which ultimately serves no purpose in the plot. All of this can be explained offhand through some exposition later in the film, and most audiences won’t care. Admittedly, the experience is so much fun through the first 84 minutes that these issues are hardly objectionable.
Otherwise, Fuze is worth watching, and is a treat for people who like a thinking-cinephile thriller. Until, for some reason, it has to pander to the audience’s short attention span in the last eight minutes. That brings Fuze down significantly, but not enough to deter people from watching the film. I choose to ignore those final eight minutes as a lapse in judgment, suggesting the studio has little faith in its audience.
You can watch the new film Fuze only in theaters starting April 24th!
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