The 2016 Greek action-thriller Short Fuse has been released digitally in the U.S. thanks to Well Go USA. Ares Apostolou (Apostolis Totsikas) had followed in his father’s footsteps, and was on his way to a promising career as a lawyer. However, that all changed after he got into a physical altercation with a greedy witness looking for a payout for his evidence in a high-profile case. The incident left an arsonist walking free, and Ares pretty much blacklisted from every law firm in the area. Ares now makes ends meet delivering packages as a courier.

As Ares heads out for his last delivery of the day, he doesn’t realize it may end up being he last delivery, period. When Ares arrives at the destination, he is knocked unconscious, and awakes to find a vest full of C4 strapped to his chest, with a 1-hour counter ticking away. A voice on an earpiece gives Ares instructions to go to a nightclub to trade a briefcase for the key to unlock and remove the bomb. However, it turns out this is just the first of many errands the manipulative mystery voice will send him on. As Ares races to disarm the bomb, figure out who is behind all of this, and why he was targeted, he is joined by waitress Anna (Constantine Markoulakis), and pursued by overzealous cop Lieutenant Lazarou (Nikos Kouris) and ruthless mobster Miltos (Tasos Nousias). Along his journey, he also crosses paths with folks from his past, including his father, Menelaos (Thodoris Atheridis), who’s embarrassed by how Ares soiled the family name/legal profession. Can Ares figure out who’s behind this wild goose chase and stop them before it’s too late?!

There have certainly been many films where the main character is rushing against the clock to save their own life, but Short Fuse still manages to feel fresh and exciting. While some films like these attempt to do this in real time, this is not one of them. This allows the story to breathe a bit more, spread out across different locations, and allow for the mystery villain to give Ares more elaborate twists and puzzles that wouldn’t/couldn’t really be realistically solved in real time. Once Ares discovers he is strapped with the bomb, the film maintains a high-level of fast-paced action and tension. We learn early on that Ares is hot-headed and his temper and anger management issues can get him into trouble (hence the film’s clever double-meaning title)—it’s what ultimately cost him his legal career. However, if Ares going to survive, he’s going to have to keep his anger in check and act calm and rationally. Each new puzzle puts Ares in an impossible position, with deadly consequences even if he does manage to succeed—he is constantly forced to make choices between his own life and that of another innocent individual. As Ares races from one location to the next, he’s also being pursued by a cop trying to lock him up (something he literally doesn’t have time for), and a sadistic mobster and his goons out to kill him. As Ares tries to piece together the clues and figure out who is behind all of this, and why he was chosen, he is also forced to confront his own past and childhood trauma. Is his current predicament somehow linked to the arson case his temper had ruined?

Short Fuse is an adrenaline-fueled, entertaining ride with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing as to the identity of the voice in Ares’s earpiece and their motives for putting Ares through this. At the start of the film we are also introduced to another mystery character who is trapped in a Saw-style situation—a deadly room with seemingly no means of escape. We don’t know why, when, or where this person is trapped, but the film keeps cutting back to this. It’s not until later on that we finally discover how this is connected to the rest of the story.

Normally in my reviews, I would comment on the audio and video presentation of the release, but since I watched this film via a watermarked screener, I’m not sure how it compares to the final quality of the consumer product. The film is presented in its original Greek language, and the subtitles are well-written, though they move a little quickly at times. For the most part, the special effects and action sequences are well done, with the exception of one minor explosion which felt more low-budget CGI.

Well Go’s release is available now at digital retailers. No physical release has been announced at this time.

What’s Included:

Digital specs may vary by platform/retailer.

Film: (1:25:34)

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: Greek Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English

Extras:

No bonus material included

Final Thoughts:

Short Fuse is an exciting race-against-the-clock thriller with lots of unexpected twists and turns that keep the viewer guessing as they try to piece things together. Once the action starts, things move at constantly rapid pace as Ares must solve each puzzle to save himself and/or others. Lead Apostolis Totsikas does a nice job in this role, selling this hot-headed character who’s forced to reevaluate his life under this stressful situation. He has good chemistry with the rest of the cast, mixing in little humor with the tense and explosive action. The film is worth a look for those who enjoy a fast-paced thriller, and don’t mind subtitles.

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Short Fuse

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$9.99 (as of November 17, 2024 03:11 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)