FUZE

UK, 2025, 98 minutes, Colour.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Saffron Hocking.

Directed by David Mackenzie.

A British action thriller with some surprises.

The title refers to a bomb crisis in central London, a World War II bomb discovered on a building site, calling in the experts, the detailed study of the bomb and the ability to defuse it, military personnel, and also London police involved in evacuating the area and keeping the situation under control.

This scene to indicate that Fuse is a fairly straightforward action thriller with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the expert for defusing the bomb and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the police superintendent.

But, there is more, much more.

While the bomb diffusing is going on, the audience sees a group of bank robbers entering a precinct, heavy equipment, drilling through a wall, getting into the room with safe deposit boxes, a search for uncut diamonds. Theo James is one of the gang, keeping an eye out for the police and the situation with the bomb defusing. Sam Worthington is a member of the gang.

Gradually, a young corporal working on the defusing and suspicious raises questions. Police searching the area for evacuations come across the robbery.

With the explosion of the bomb, the attention of the drama goes to the criminals, their escape, issues of diamonds, contacts, setups and betrayals… There is also the involvement of a family who live in the building near the bank and are kept for the interrogation.

And, just when the issues of the diamonds and betrayals seem to be explained, there is a whole lot more in the film, twists and drama and explanations right up to the end - not what we might have been expecting.

1. The title and expectations? Bombs and explosions? Defusing?
2. The impact of the plot, the situation, the police, the expert, the evacuation of the area, the details of the defusing? And the introduction to the theme of robbing the bank? Audiences wondering about the connection?
3. The London setting, in the city London, the building area, the bomb, World War II? The police and their involvement, communications? The expert, at the shooting range, his background, Middle East, the stories, comrades dead? The squad, the various personalities, the young corporal and his expertise, working with the bomb, the equipment, the timing, on an off? The police and the equipment, supervising, the screen and indication of the bomb and its activity? Phones and Communications? Timing, split-second? Alerts, scares?
4. The situation in the city, the police, the range of people on the move, police barriers? The introduction to Romeo and his family, the plane to catch, anxiety, the language? Seen in the park? Eventually their wanting to return, their address in the suspicious building? Bringing them home, the lift out, carrying the grandfather and chair upstairs? Interrogations, language issues? The grandfather and his assistance in giving information?
5. The bank robbery and the insertion in the main theme, the personalities, the team, their cover, overalls, the drilling, explosions, personal interactions, opening up the boxes, the cash, the jewellery, the uncut diamonds? Karalis on guard, his being seen by the two police, decisions to be made, the escape, the sewers, the car, the different personalities? The escape, the rendezvous with Karalis, the sewer stench and its being used to help the escape, the police guard, getting through, the arrival of the rendezvous, the splitting, the issue of the uncut diamonds, Karalis going outside, his partner coming in, the shooting? The issue of the diamonds, smashing, the fakes? The buildup to the confrontation, cars and pursuits, the shooting?
6. Zuzana and her role, personality, taking command, assessing situations, communications? The news about the robbery? The evacuation over?
7. The issue of the corporal, the bomb, the timing, his realising that it was not a World War II bomb, trying to speak to the authorities, his interaction with Will Tranter, eventually Will Tranter meeting the superior officer, conversations, acceptance of the job done?
8. The twists, the explanations of the end, going back 10 years, Romeo situations in Afghanistan, Tranter and standing on the bomb, as his assistant, the vehicle, Karalis and his presence, the strategy of the attack, the shooting, defusing the mine? The involvement of each, the connections, Karalis and the revelation, the actual uncut diamonds, eluding the police at the airport, the group meeting in Istanbul – and the final commentary on what happened to each of them and the diamonds?