Fuze (2026)    Roadside Attractions/Action-Thriller    RT: 96 minutes    Rated R (language throughout and violence)    Director: David Mackenzie    Screenplay: Ben Hopkins    Music: Tony Doogan    Cinematography: Giles Nuttgens    Release date: April 24, 2026 (US)    Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, Saffron Hocking, Elham Ehsas, Shaun Mason, Nabil Elouahabi, Alexander Arnold, Honor Swinton Byrne, Luke Mably, Iain Fletcher, Samuel Oatley, Dragos Bucur.

Rating: *** ½

 Last year, I raved about a nifty little thriller called Relay. Have you watched it yet? If your answer is no, why not? If your answer is yes, was I right or was I right? It pays to listen to the Movie Guy, no?

 The director responsible for this still largely unseen gem is David Mackenzie. The Scottish filmmaker gave us one of the best crime dramas of the past 25 years, the timely Hell or High Water (2016). His latest work, the tricky crime thriller Fuze, is another feather in his cap. He and screenwriter Ben Hopkins take the story in a completely unexpected direction early on. Some might say he reveals his hand too soon. I disagree. It’s totally the right way to go. It allows him to throw a few more surprises at the viewer. This unpredictability is what makes it consistently riveting. You can’t say that about too many movies these days with their manufactured, fill in the blank screenplays. It’s what I call filmmaking by committee.

 I must confess that I didn’t pay close attention to the trailer for Fuze when it showed before one of my AMC Screen Unseen movies. I’m glad I didn’t. I just took a close look at it and it does reveal the plot twist I alluded to earlier. It shows a few other things too.  I’m glad I didn’t remember any of it. It made Fuze more fun. I recommend not watching the trailer. I’ll tell you what you need to know.

 A construction crew unearths an unexploded WWII bomb in London. Their discovery provokes an immediate response from the military and the police. The former sends Major Will Tranter (Johnson, 28 Years Later) and his team to defuse it while the latter group, under the command of Chief Superintendent Zuzana Greenfield (Raw, A Wrinkle in Time), deals with the cordoning off and evacuation of the area. The operation becomes more complicated when the bomb starts ticking.

 SPOILER ALERT if you decide not to view the trailer beforehand. Read on at your own risk. The bomb turns out to be a diversion for a daring heist. While the authorities are preoccupied with preventing a catastrophe, a team of crooks led by Karalis (James, The Monkey) break into a bank by drilling through the basement wall. They proceed to empty the contents of several safe deposit boxes with one of them being of particular interest. Their plan goes off without a hitch until a police drone spots their heat signature. That’s when Fuze really kicks into high gear.

 The only other thing I’m willing to tell you about Fuze is this; there is no honor among thieves. Then again, is that really giving anything away? Isn’t that the central idea of any heist picture? Thieves, by nature, are dishonest people. They can’t be trusted. At least one of them is bound to try and screw over the others. This is exactly what happens in this case too. Okay, that is absolutely it. There will be no further plot reveal. Just watch the movie; you won’t regret it.

 I frequently decry the dearth of adult-oriented entertainment at multiplexes. It’s been that way for a long time and will continue to be such as long as audiences keep flocking to big, dumb, effects-driven spectacles involving superheroes or blue aliens. It’s just the nature of the business. However, studios should keep in mind that there are still folks who want more substantial entertainment. Some of us adults want movies for mature adults. Like Relay, that’s who Mackenzie is targeting with Fuze. Sure, it has an explosion and a few action scenes, but it also has a brain. It’s an intelligent crime thriller with believable characters dealing with an unbelievable situation in a believable way. It has a twisty plot that isn’t too hard to follow, but still requires the viewer to actually pay attention. Me, I’ll take it over the likes of any Ava-turd flick.

 Mackenzie, as a filmmaker, is skilled in many areas, not the least of which is casting his films with talented actors. He continues this streak with Fuze. What a cool cast! Johnson keeps showing he’s lead actor material. It helps that he’s not playing some one-dimensional hero (?) with metahuman abilities. He’s flawed. There’s mention of an incident when he served in Afghanistan several years earlier. James makes a pretty good bad guy. He looks so sleazy here. Raw has a commanding presence as the head of police. Sam Worthington, who also appeared in Relay, is as wooden as ever as one of the crooks. He’s the only imperfection in an otherwise flawless vehicle.

 I have to give props to editor Matt Mayer for keeping the action taut and tight while staying firmly in control. Fuze isn’t one of those overedited deals that confuse the viewer with a lot of fancy quick-cuts. You always have a sense of geography. You know who’s doing what to whom. What makes this feat even more remarkable is the story’s many moving parts. There’s a lot going on. In addition to all else, the narrative keeps shifting to this Middle Eastern family waiting out the situation in nearby Hyde Park. Who are they and what have they to do with anything? In less capable hands, this would be a distraction. Mackenzie and his capable crew successfully avoid that pitfall. He brings everything together at the end.

 Although I like Relay a bit better, Fuze is still a great movie. It’s gripping and thrilling without caving in to mainstream temptations like piling on the sound and fury. That usually signifies nothing, does it not? Fuze is definitely something. Given its lackluster box office performance, I’m perfectly at ease calling it a hidden treasure. Seek it out. You won’t be sorry.