From nearly the beginning, as Tim Roth’s character, Sugarman, ascends a hill accompanied by his group and nonchalantly throats one of them without missing a beat, it becomes clear that this man will stop at nothing and nobody to achieve his goal. His aim is to find the Japanese woman, Tornado (Koki), who has fled from Sugarman and his gang, seeking refuge in a vast, secluded mansion in the Scottish Highlands. The reason behind these events unfolds when the movie flashes back to earlier that day.
1790 Scotland finds me, Tornado, a puppeteer alongside my father Fujin (Takehira Hira) and younger brother, putting on puppet shows for a modest crowd, barely reaching double digits – and boasting an impressive audience figure compared to a Meghan Markle podcast. My father, a samurai swordsman, dispenses homespun wisdom through his words, offering pearls like ‘Learn Patience’ or ‘Know when to wait’, and ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. It doesn’t last long if you’re morbidly obese’ – though we improvised that last one for effect.
Our little troupe, carrying two bags of gold after a heist, halts in the woods to watch our performance. It’s my younger brother who swipes their loot, sparking Sugarman and his gang’s relentless pursuit of me and my sibling. The violence they wield is indiscriminate, striking down anyone who dares cross their path. Their posse includes peculiar names such as Lazy Legs, Little Sugar, Kitten, and Squid Lips, making them sound like a nightmarishly deformed boyband.
Written and directed by John Maclean, this film marks his return to filmmaking after a decade-long hiatus since 2015’s ‘Slow West’. Distinctively filmed, it presents a unique blend of genres, setting the story in Scotland as a samurai western. Among the most original genre combinations you’ll encounter this year, ‘Tornado’ is indeed a refreshing change.
Here’s the Tornado trailer…..
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2025-06-11 02:23