Tornado
The second film from John Maclean has an austere beauty and a unique premise – it's a samurai movie set in 1890s Scotland – but its lean script needs more flesh on its bones
John Maclean, whose first film was the off-beat western Slow West, conjures up another tale of a youngster travelling through a mythologised historical wilderness with vivid brutality and not a wasted moment. His new film Tornado treads far less familiar cinematic ground, however: it's a samurai movie dropped into 18th-century Scotland.
The film opens in the middle, with a young Japanese girl called Tornado (Kōki) tearing across a harsh landscape, seeking refuge in an isolated manor house from a band of ruthless marauders. In time, we're introduced to Tornado's pursuers (led by Tim Roth and Jack Lowden) and filled in on her crucial backstory, the reason for the chase – and her quest to right the wrongs against her – and what unfolds across the film's 90 minutes is a sparse, taught coming-of-age revenge tale. With arrestingly austere cinematography by Robbie Ryan and strong performances across the cast, Tornado brings out the wildest, most lawless side of samurai stories, which Tornado and her father, Fujin (Takehiro Hira), perform as travelling puppeteers.
Maclean's film, however, never quite delivers on its promising opening. Tornado is lighter on laughs than Slow West, though it's not without wry statements and the occasional moment of physical comedy. This tendency towards tonal sameness makes it feel slighter than its predecessor, which operated more comfortably in a realm of Old West archetypes, whereas this story of Japanese travelling players in 1790 Scotland feels like it needs to spend more time world-building. While it does not wholly satisfy, Tornado is a unique historical genre entry.
Released 13 Jun by Lionsgate; certificate 15