- Jack Lowden, Rory McCann, Tim Roth, Takehiro Hira
- June 13th 2025
- 91
- John Maclean
This revenge western follows a young Japanese woman who is being chased by a gang of criminals over missing bags of gold.
Did you ever expect to see a samurai movie based in the Scottish Highlands? Us neither!
With Tornado, director John Maclean brings us a samurai western movie we never knew we needed.
Our titular character, Tornado (Kiko), is a young Japanese woman who works with her father Fujin (Takehiro Hira) in a travelling samurai puppet show in the Scottish Highlands.
After bags of stolen gold go missing, a gang of thieves led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden) launch an offensive to find who took their money, and Tornado gets caught in the crossfire.
The film, set in 1790, drops us immediately into the middle of the action without any preamble or context. The opening scene shows the criminals chasing Tornado and a young boy over the harsh, blustery landscape.
The story is instantly gripping because you’re waiting to find out who Tornado is, what they think she’s done and why she is scared for her life and hiding in a mansion or seeking refuge with the travelling circus.
After this sequence, the film gives us the much-needed context by taking us back to the start of the story and properly introducing us to the main players and the situation.
Unfortunately, this is where Tornado – the film – falters. This middle section is too slow and the energy and momentum from before disappears, plus there is very little dialogue and character depth to hold onto.
You’re waiting for the action to return and to see her katana make an appearance, but you have to wait a while as this section is the longest.
Thankfully, the final act is where the film truly earns its ‘samurai movie’ stripes. It’s a violent, exciting and satisfying revenge western here. It’s a shame it doesn’t last longer because it’s easily the highlight of the story.
Tornado establishes Japanese singer/actress/model Mitsuki Kimura, or Koki, as one to watch as she gives a commanding lead performance with minimal lines and holds her own alongside the menacing Roth and the solid Lowden.
The beginning and end of this film are excellent and marginally make up for the lagging pace in the middle. However, that section is still too long and slow and viewers may struggle to engage with it.
In cinemas from Friday 13th June.
By Hannah Wales.
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