Countdown film review: Heist set against London bomb threat

The 2025 action thriller ‘Countdown’, directed by David Mackenzie and written by Ben Hopkins, utilizes a heist plot set against the backdrop of a crisis in central London. The story follows the discovery and attempted deactivation of a World War II bomb, which triggers a local evacuation. Thieves, led by Theo James, exploit this chaos to carry out a robbery.

The film features parallel editing between the bomb disposal efforts, involving Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and the heist itself. While the direction provides moments of tension and spectacle, the film is noted for a declining second half and a disappointing conclusion due to a script lacking unpredictable twists.