Fuze

Directed by David Mackenzie, Fuze follows a British soldier (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he’s tasked with disarming a World War II bomb that’s uncovered at a construction site. It’s a compelling premise that’s employed as a springboard for a briskly-paced and twist-laden endeavor rife with compelling set-pieces, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that Fuze benefits substantially from its raft of engaging, first-class performances – with Johnson’s terrific work here matched by periphery players like Theo James, Sam Worthington, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The pervasively entertaining atmosphere is heightened and perpetuated by the consistently surprising narrative (ie it’s generally impossible to tell where this is going at any given moment), while the exciting climactic stretch, which also boasts a thoroughly satisfying (and fairly bold) coda, ensures that the whole thing concludes on a seriously positive note – which does, in the end, confirm Fuze’s place as a top-tier thriller from a mostly underrated filmmaker.

***1/2 out of ****