The devious twists in Ben Hopkins’ fiendishly clever script are ably matched by the multi-faceted, meticulously detailed shoot that brings it to life, under the guidance of director David Mackenzie.
No surprise, given that Mackenzie also helmed 2016’s superlative Hell or High Water.
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| After getting called to a London construction site that has uncovered an unexploded World War II bomb, demolitions expert Major Will Trantor (Aaron Taylot-Johnson) cautiously tries to determine how best to proceed. |
The time is present-day, the setting a bustling Paddington neighborhood in central London’s Westminster. It’s morning, and a construction crew busily digs out a city block-sized site in anticipation of new development ... until the excavator uncovers a nasty surprise: the nose cone of an unexploded bomb (UXB) left over from World War II.
(This continues to be far from fictitious. Just a week ago, 2,000 people from more than 200 homes were evacuated when a UXB was discovered at the Falmouth Docks. It was safely removed on September 23.)
Police Chief Superintendent Zuzana Greenfield (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) supervises the evacuation of all nearby residents to Hyde Park, while military demolitions expert Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his team take charge of the site. They begin erecting a makeshift blast wall, while he tries to determine what type of bomb they’re dealing with.
Tranter’s right-hand man, Corporal Martin (Alexander Arnold), nervously anticipates his first exposure to live munitions.
The evacuation process proceeds fairly smoothly, with a few hiccups: an anonymous jerk who wants to go back for his laptop; and Rahim (Elham Ehsas), who needs help moving his wheelchair-bound father.
But the inhabitants of one dark apartment ignore the knock on their door, while waiting quietly for the evacuation fuss to die down.
And we realize ... they expected this.
Once silence reigns, with a square-mile evacuation perimeter established, the four men inside this apartment — outfitted in official orange Water and Sewer Department jumpsuits — spring into action. Only Giorgos Karalis (Theo James) is mentioned by name; the others are merely dubbed “X” (Sam Worthington), “Y” (Shaun Mason) and “Z” (Nabil Elouahabi). Karalis, apparently in charge, heads outside as lookout; “X” calls the subsequent step-by-step shots within the building.
Their target: the adjacent Bank Al Muraqabah, which they intend to breach by drilling through the shared brick wall and steel vault exterior. Their varied and impressively sophisticated equipment, clearly stored days (weeks?) in advance, bespeaks careful planning.
But their work does not go unnoticed. An overhead police drone spots their heat signature, and Greenfield sends a car with two officers to investigate.
