Fuze
I’ve long enjoyed a heist movie, and this one looked like it might be interesting so I gave it a shot. Not sure why I like them so much, except maybe they tend toward twisty plotlines and highlight organized larceny and camaraderie among both police and thieves. For a while I was actually kinda disappointed in this one, which considering the state of streaming movies these days, didn’t surprise me.
So, there you are, just minding your own business jamming to reggae while digging a big hole on a construction site near London. Your boss sprints over to get you to stop because, hey! There’s a bomb! Everyone scrambles out, the military is called in to defuse the bomb and the police coordinate evacuating the area. They get everyone out, except the sneaky looking guys with the big drilling equipment in the basement of a nearby housing complex. The one next to a bank. Suddenly, there are bomb under the table issues (thank you, Mr. Hitchcock). Chaos ensues.
London’s history with bombs gives this mega urban area a certain cache, and the huge, closely packed population makes the danger to the public very real. Europe is not unused to World War II bombs being found, and they are incredibly dangerous, even nearly a hundred years later. This gives the plot urgency and sets up several potential scenarios. I was furiously scribbling in my notes things like, “What the heck is a ‘clock-stopper’?” followed shortly by, “Whoa, what if the thieves accidentally set off the bomb with their equipment?” There are a lot of cool articles about defusing ancient bombs. I may have enjoyed reading those more than the movie.
I liked the gritty but not washed out look of the film, as it fitted a story about two groups of people working furiously at getting a big, complicated job done on a close schedule. The Army bomb squad has expertise, lots of simple but effective equipment, and the support of a seriously modern police department watching their back. There’s a nifty robot and a fancy drone that shows what’s going on with a minimum of human effort required. There is also the most gigantic hole saw I’ve ever seen to get into the bank vault. Both teams move fast and efficiently, which led me into a surprising reaction to the film. I started to lose interest. It was too effective, times two. The threat began to feel minimal and I began to write about it in my notes until at the 25 minute mark I suddenly exclaimed loudly, which my viewing partner hates, a big upcoming plot point that I will not say because it’s a huge spoiler. I was right, too. I discovered I was more right than expected and the sudden turns the story began to have made my initial aha moment lose some emphasis. I’m still going to pat myself on the back.
But it did point up a couple of weaknesses in the writing. First of all, I called what was supposed to be a big surprise about twenty minutes early. Then I had a question about how something was done that was never answered in the movie. I can’t say what it is, but if you want to know my question after seeing the movie, ask away in the comments.
I thought the music was pretty good. At the beginning of the film, where they find the bomb very quickly, there is a slow, ominous heartbeat score that slowly speeds up as the movie progresses. My other sound issue is the accent of one of the characters. He sounds exactly like Faramir and it was disconcerting. Acting is solid throughout, though the police officer in charge (Guga Mbatha-Raw, The Woman in Cabin 10) never stopped scowling all the way through. Yes, a bomb is threatening to blow up a good chunk of city, but really? I was also rolling my eyes at police in cars chasing bad guys running on foot and being outpaced. Again…really?
Once the surprises begin happening fast and furious I tended to get over the weaknesses in parts of the plot. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable outing, if you like heist movies that sneak up on you the way they should. Have some caramel popcorn and soda like we did and enjoy a fun movie.
Triggers: a wee bit of violence, and one quick peek at a naked butt
Available on: HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube TV, Google Play, Fandango, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
LINKS:
CFR: In Addition
Ok, my first thought when I read Cranky’s review is “Oh wow! An updated version of Danger: UXB.” This is a show I watched obsessively over three months – it is a 13 episode show from England that was broadcast over PBS every Sunday night. I even had friends over for it. I would watch it again and huh, just found out it is on some streaming channels.
So my first thought when I read about this movie is that uh, this isn’t anything new for London. So I’m thinking that if I watched this show, would I feel the urgency? I might not. I mean, I sat glued to the TV once a week every week for three months watching British soldiers deal with Nazi bombs.
I think I will watch it anyway and remind myself that finding a bomb would be scary.
Or maybe I will just sit there and think huh.
We shall see.
