PLOT: An unexploded WWII bomb buried in central London is used by a group of thieves to cover up a multimillion-dollar heist.

REVIEW: Director David Mackenzie, after several years away following his period epic Outlaw King, is back. Between this one and his last movie, Relay, he seems bent on resurrecting nineties-style, high-concept thrillers. I, for one, welcome this notion, as Fuze is another expertly crafted thriller that keeps you guessing throughout and never quite plays out the way you think it’s going to.

The premise is solid, as the threat of finding real, unexploded WWII German bombs buried in London is far from remote. When one is discovered, the area around it is evacuated as the army moves in to deactivate it, while the police cordon off the area. This proves to be fertile ground for a thriller, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Major Will Tranter forced to contend with the bomb, while two thieves, played by Theo James and Sam Worthington, use the situation as the perfect cover to rob a bank.

Mackenzie does an excellent job sustaining tension, as the old-school bomb requires delicate handling, and he makes you feel like it could go off at any second. We also crisscross back and forth with the robbery, which somehow seems timed perfectly to the discovery of the supposedly buried ordnance. How is this happening? To say too much would spoil the fun, but the way it unfolds will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It’s always fun to see thrillers like this in the middle of TIFF (which is where I caught it initially), as much of the fare here leans heavier. Here, Mackenzie just wants you to have fun, and it should go down like gangbusters with the audience. The cast is terrific, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson perfectly cast as the square-jawed military man forced to contend with an unstable bomb that could kill him at any time. Likewise, Theo James is appropriately slimy as the wily thief, with Worthington as his more old-school associate, the two after a mysterious envelope that somehow promises vast riches. My only issue is that the great Gugu Mbatha-Raw is somewhat wasted in the cop role, with her not getting much else to do beyond react to what she’s seeing on CCTV at HQ.

Like Relay, Fuze relies on a handful of twists and reversals, and Mackenzie delights in subverting audience expectations. The movie is peppered with action sequences, including some solid gunfights and sniper moments, while also maintaining a light touch with music cues that occasionally lean on the nose but work within the film’s pulpy tone.

It’s too bad that Fuze isn’t getting a super robust theatrical release, with Roadside Attractions and Saban putting it out this weekend where it has to compete with Michael. But, if you want a nice bit of adult, action-driven counterprogramming, give it a watch.

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