Fuze

Fuze Review: Grounded action can't save its blandness

Brighton Nelson

14 Apr 2026 — 3 min read

Another Monday, another secret screening, another highlight of my week. Fuze was this week's offering, and a film that I knew absolutely nothing about. With a great cast and a simple name, I was excited to see the film play out after the title drop. And did my excitement pay off? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will be discussing today. Thanks for joining me for today's review, and I hope you enjoy it!

This makes the film look quite a bit cooler than it is. Looks like a 24 poster.

Unfortunately, we've got to start with the positives in this review. As my fans know, that's never a great sign, as we usually start with the negatives on The Reel Ranker. Fuze is a film that knows its audience: those who like Sunday night dad movies with really grounded, believable action. The bomb squad and criminal elements of this film were impeccable, and the realism was rather surprising. The whole cast does a great job considering the material, even if the characters are blah. There are a couple of solid twists that aren't half-bad, and the finale flashback was easily the highlight of the film, even though I can see why some find its placement jarring.

However, the negatives far outweigh the good here. Like The Rip earlier this year, grounded action and a couple of cool twists can't make up for the complete lack of interesting characters or plot elements. Also, the main appeal of the movie (at least to me), the bomb squad, practically becomes non-existent one-third into the movie, and the tension and heist elements are gone, replaced by some gangsters arguing for like 30 minutes.

Usually, going to the cinema after 10 hours or so of teaching kids at the local charter school is invigorating. Still, this film simply put me to sleep like there was some 4D aerosol melatonin in the air. Again, like The Rip, most of the movie is too boring to justify the twists. The stakes and tension are practically non-existent, the action is well-done but not that exciting, and the characters—which truly are supposed to be the saving grace in less action-heavy action movies—are so thin that their only development comes out through a post-film text epilogue. There's simply nothing to latch onto outside of realistic action and atypical plot development.

Outside of the flashback, this scene was probably the best in the film.

The Reel Ranker Verdict

Reel or Unreel? - Unreel
The Reel Ranker Score: 40%
Letter Score: D+
Star Ranking: 2 out of 5

Fuze has surprisingly grounded action, some interesting plot developments, and a great final sequence. However, for the most part, it's just another really weak weekend dad movie that lacks the development and depth to make me care. Just this year, there have already been a number of films like this that do this so much better, à la Shelter and Dhurandhar 2.

Check out some other reviews for action, thriller, and crime flicks below! These lists will be continuously updating as I review more of the films I've watched 😄