By Bhargav Acharya and Meriam Telhig
TORONTO (Reuters) -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.
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.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Meriam Telhig in Toronto; Editing by Mark Porter)
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