Rent Tornado (2025)

Highland Haikus - Tornado review by griggs

Tornado is a strange, striking film—its blend of Western and samurai visual language playing out against the bleak beauty of the Scottish Highlands. The story of a Japanese father and daughter crossing paths with Tim Roth’s gang carries real weight, even if the film keeps its backstory deliberately cryptic. The moody cinematography and evocative score do most of the heavy lifting, creating a rich, brooding atmosphere. Roth, near-mute, stalks the film like a man long resigned to his fate. It’s slow, yes—but intentionally so. An unusual film that lingers in the mind, even if it doesn’t quite satisfy.

Strange, Entertaining Revenge Story - Tornado review by GI

This is a weird revenge drama set in 1790 Scotland although it might as well be a post apocalyptic future world as we only ever see a wilderness and odds and sods of humanity who seem to emerge out of the windswept landscape from nowhere. It's also the Scottish Samurai film we've all been waiting for! It's downbeat, pessimistic and rather strange but quite compelling too. Tornado (Kôki) is a young Japanese girl and part of a traveling circus with her father (Takehiro Hira). They perform a puppet show and put on displays of samurai swordsmanship. But they cross paths with a motley gang of murderous thieves led by Sugarman (Tim Roth). When the gang's stolen loot is taken by a young boy they go after him and Tornado gets involved and is relentlessly pursued by them too until she decides it's time to turn and fight. Jack Lowden plays Sugarman's son (or perhaps he's not!), who is on his own agenda regarding the loot and Joanne Whalley has a cameo as the leader of the circus. There's a timeline shuffle that is unsettling when it happens and the gang don't have horses but just keep walking after their prey in a very menacing way. A perplexing drama almost like a western that rivals the director and writer, John Maclean, has a unique cinematic vision.

Very Silly, Unbelievable but Watchable late 18th Samurai Saga set in the Scottish Wilds - Tornado review by PV

OK so, first off, this is predictably a largely state-funded film - via Film Scotland/BFI and Lottery Funding. To get such dosh, film makers KNOW they gotta tick dem diversity boxes, have non-white/BAME characters, however absurd that may be. not as ethno-absurd as 2016's state-funded Lady Macbeth with its parachuted in faces of colour. At least the travelling show trope explains the presence of Japanese people in 18th C Britain.

Some facts. In 1939 the UK had just 6000 black people of a population of 44 million. In the past there were HARDLY ANY black or brown people in Britain, outside of the port towns/cities. SO casting characters as black or brown in costume drama due to colourblind casting demands and BAFTA tickbox DEI diversity orders is as absurd as casting Ed Sheeran as Nelson Mandela or perhaps Joanna Lumley as king of the Zulus, with Chinese and white ginger Zulu warriors - but THAT would be CONSISTENT colourblind casting!

Anyway, as a film it's watchable - I liked the early part best. A clear goal in this reminds me of so many other movies and stories, SHALLOW GRAVE being one.

I disliked the main character - not only for the utter absurdity of a female Japanese Samurai (Japan had and has a VERY socially conservative culture). But ticks the girlpower box of course. The American-type accent caused me to cringe really. She's a model and singer mainly, and it shows - she plays a cartoon character her. Her father is played by an excellent actor, and others do well too, the boy and the old-hand Tim Roth.

A slight and forgettable film, almost veering into Marvel comic book territory. Maybe designed to play well in Asia? No idea.

An oddity but as I said, watchable. Reminds me a bit of the far superior 2018 film Black '47.