With “Fuze”, director David Mackenzie (“Hell or High Water”) offers up a twisty, taut, and fast-paced heist thriller that wisely doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel yet is deftly made so as not to come off as a tired rehash. In fact, despite clearly calling back to a very specific style of movie, “Fuze” is surprisingly savvier than it first appears – a truth that really comes to light in the final act when Mackenzie and screenwriter Ben Hopkins take a refreshingly cool route in wrapping things up.

The film wastes no time kicking into gear after a 500-pound World War II bomb is unwittingly unearthed at a Westminster construction site in central London. The police, under the leadership of Chief Superintendent Zuzana Greenfield (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), immediately cordon off the area and begin evacuating the nearby neighborhoods. The British Army calls in Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), an explosives expert who begins by assessing the scene.

It all makes for a straightforward yet thoroughly gripping setup with blaringly obvious stakes. But as mentioned, “Fuze” doesn’t follow a conventional path, and the filmmakers quickly reveal they have more up their sleeves. With the surrounding areas vacant and shutoff, and with the authorities frantically occupied with the bomb, four men hiding out in an apartment building slip out and begin a meticulously planned bank heist.

The crew is ran by a seasoned thief named X (Sam Worthington). But the score is the brainchild of the new guy, Karalis (Theo James). Their heist unfolds with pinpoint efficiency and a remarkable attention to detail. So much so that it eases the mind of the noticeably cautious X. At the bomb site, Tranter proves to be a composed and capable crisis manager, barking orders with convincing authority yet keeping his team calm. Meanwhile Zuzana monitors it all from her control center, eventually spotting leads that could blow the lid off everything.

These three distinct story threads play well on their own while also feeding a central narrative that will inevitably tie them all together. Yet they’re only parts of the puzzle – certainly the most prominent parts. But several other players factor in, usually with the reveal of a new twist. And there are numerous twists that keep us constantly wondering who can be trusted, where do loyalties lie, and how on earth is Mackenzie going to pull it all off in the end?

The good news is he does pull it off, and in a surprisingly unexpected way. We may not get answers to all of our questions, and we may be forced to overlook some obvious stuff in order to get to the finish. But I enjoyed getting an ending that didn’t lazily follow the usual formula. It also doesn’t hurt to have such a crack cast who are fully onboard for the ride. They help make “Fuze” work as sheer entertainment, which is exactly what Mackenzie is going for.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS