Fuze

Despite an explosive premise that builds genuine white-knuckle tension, Fuze burns out too soon and stumbles toward a needlessly convoluted payoff.

This taut and efficient British thriller from director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) combines elements of a ticking-clock mystery and a cat-and-mouse crime saga set amid a bustling urban backdrop.

Its intriguing if far-fetched concept initially builds unease from public paranoia and apprehension, yet a deeper rooting interest remains elusive thanks to thinly sketched characters and uneven narrative momentum.

In contemporary London, a construction crew digs up a bomb dating back to World War II, which apparently is still ticking. Officials scramble to evacuate the immediate area and summon military expert Will (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) with the ultimate goal of diffusing it.

As the chaos intensifies, two high-tech thieves (Theo James and Sam Worthington) are spearheading an audacious heist of a nearby bank vault. The distraction gives them the window they need to drill through a wall and crack the safe.

Meanwhile, the determined police superintendent (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) soon finds her attention split after the robbers are discovered. But connecting the two incidents isn’t as simple or obvious at it seems.

As we await the inevitable blast, the people doing the investigating and perpetrating unfortunately aren’t as compelling as the device and its mysterious backstory. The clunky dialogue doesn’t help, either. “If the bomb detonates, I don’t have to tell you how bad that’s going to be,” Will barks.

Eventually the intertwined subplots evolve into a maze of cloudy motives and shifting loyalties in which an explosion that could rock the entire city isn’t even the primary concern.

Inspired by true events, the screenplay by Ben Hopkins (Inside) features some procedural insight into bomb diffusing units, large-scale public safety initiatives, and forensic theories.

Yet as Fuze gradually transitions its focus and tone — ramping up the betrayal and gamesmanship while probing institutional corruption — the urgency starts to feel more artificial than palpable.

The throwback visual texture provides a boost. However, the solid ensemble cast can only do so much to plug the plot holes in a film that rarely reaches the high-octane heights to which it aspires.

Rated R, 96 minutes.