Fuze (2026) is directed by David Mackenzie and written by Ben Hopkins. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, Alexander Arnold, Elham Ehsas, Honor Swinton Byrne, Saffron Hocking, Laurie Duncan, Matthew Earley, Earl Asembi, Hannah Collins, and Fode Simbo. The film follows Will (Taylor-Johnson), a veteran squad leader who’s deployed to deal with an undetonated WWII bomb discovered at a construction site in central London. Meanwhile, a group of thieves led by Karalis (James) attempts to exploit the evacuation in order to rob a local bank.

Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Sam Worthington give serviceable secondary performances, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the only cast member given enough focus to really stand out. He doesn’t deliver anything we haven’t seen from him before, but once again proves himself to be an underrated dramatic lead. These characters are charismatic and fun, but ultimately frustrating due to their confusing motivations and morals. This helps keep their actions somewhat unpredictable, but they’re also jarring. Sure, some of the plot twists and turns are surprising, but they often lack a proper setup. The writers seem confused about who they want these characters to be, which comes to a head in the third act when certain revelations undermine what’s established about their morals and motivations. This plot point could’ve worked if it had more time to breathe, but it happens far too late in the film, feeling rushed and unnatural. 

Along with the inconsistent characters, the film never really decides whether it wants to be a gritty thriller or a crowd-pleasing crime caper, which becomes a big problem in the third act. The first two-thirds are hard to criticize and actually achieve some great thrills. Unfortunately, it eventually bites off a bit more than it can chew. That said, the experience is overall still great entertainment for fans of the genre. It’s an unapologetic ‘dad movie’ in the vein of Den of Thieves (2018), but it never achieves any real dramatic weight. It’s silly and exciting, but it’s tough to take seriously, especially in the third act.

I think the film’s biggest strengths are its cool premise, fast pace, and ambitious plotting. Director David Mackenzie is a sure-handed director when it comes to executing realistic action sequences, and that certainly doesn’t change with this film. However, this is an unfortunately flawed, weaker script compared to his previous works, such as the fantastic modern western Hell or High Water (2016) or last year’s paranoia thriller Relay (2025). It looks just as good as those films, but lacks the substance. 

Overall, this is a film that’s a great time for fans of the genre, but still has its fair share of frustrating flaws. The cast is strong, the action is intense, and the premise is original, but unfortunately, it gets messier as it goes along. If you’re the kind of viewer who can easily roll with its odd tonal shifts and inconsistent characters, you might find this to be a hidden gem of sorts. However, if you’re more critical like me, you’ll be disappointed that it doesn’t quite stick the landing. B-