This Scottish-Samurai Western’s immaculate construction just about saves its sparse narrative.
Tornado like the name it’s protagonist shares (Kôki) is a film of few words. A moody, atmospheric, vengeful trudge through windy hills, it conjures a brutal mundanity to the morals that flow through a lawless era. From John Maclean of critically acclaimed Slow West fame, the director is back working in a genre he clearly trusts himself to execute. Set in the 1790s we follow Tornado, a young Japanese woman who’s situation becomes increasingly perilous as her father Fujin’s (Takehiro Hira) travelling Samurai puppet show is ambushed by a gang of sociopathic criminals. Led by the calmy brutal sugar man (Tim Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden) Tornado uses her pain to exact revenge and steal their gold from a recent heist, thus ensuring a game of cat and mouse that may kill them all.
Quality setting and landscape often provides films with a huge helping hand and Tornado is no exception. The freezing, whirling Scottish valleys make for a unique experience when presented with quite a standard Western genre trope story of revenge. The Samurai element adds an interesting cultural and combat divide that used to good effect, especially later in the film. The performances of the central three characters are all very good, especially Tim Roth who seems almost bored as he enacts his incredibly cruel nature. Kôki, better known as a famous model and songwriter in Japan slots effortlessly into an altogether different character, Tornado is bold and headstrong despite her childlike sense of vulnerability.
What lets the film down is the lack of meat on the bones, while it clocks in at 90 minutes the story seems stretched. It’s the kind of material that would make an excellent hour-long television episode but there’s not enough going on here to fill a feature. As a result, there isn’t much oomph flowing through a narrative that portrays itself as violent and bleak. Only in the last ten, twenty minutes do we get some proper nasty action which could’ve been an asset throughout, the tone is already set up.
Just about unique enough and beautifully shot to recommend, Tornado is a worthwhile diversion with a lack of ambition.
Seen on 14/06/25 at Odeon Greenwich.