High-octane ‘Fuze’ thrills audience at Toronto Film Festival

TORONTO: Scottish director David Mackenzie is back with an audacious heist thriller “Fuze,” which premiered on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival with a high-profile cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James and Sam Worthington.

Set in central London, the movie begins with the discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb on a construction site, forcing a massive evacuation, while a gang of criminals hatches a plan to rob a bank amid the chaos.

“It’s the first film I’ve ever done that is really just designed to be … straightforward entertainment,” Mackenzie told Reuters on the red carpet, where he was joined by Worthington and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who also appears in the film.

Worthington, who plays one of the robbers, echoed that sentiment, and said: “It’s 91 minutes long, doesn’t let up as soon as it starts.”

Taylor-Johnson reunites with Mackenzie after collaborating in the 2018 war drama “Outlaw King” and plays Will Tranter, a bomb disposal expert, while James takes on the role of the gang’s leader, Karalis. Mbatha-Raw plays the role of Chief Superintendent Zuzana Greenfield.

Mbatha-Raw called working on the movie a “liberating experience” as she got to thoroughly research her role and shadow real police officers in London in preparation.

TIFF 2025: Mkhwanazi’s ‘Laundry’ explores apartheid-era struggles

Taylor-Johnson and James skipped the premiere but spoke about their experience shooting the film in a brief video message to the audience before the screening.

The edge-of-your-seat thriller received raucous applause from the audience at the iconic Roy Thomson Hall.

In a question-and-answer session with the audience following the premiere, Mackenzie left the door open to a sequel.

A wider release date for the film has not yet been set.