Cert - 15

Run-time - 1 hour 31 minutes

Director - John Maclean

A young woman (Kōki) faces off against an angered criminal (Tim Roth) and his gang looking for stolen gold, however none can wield a samurai sword like she can.

Tornado has somewhat been sold as a bloody, action-packed samurai flick. And while it certainly has some good action sequences they feel much more subdued, as do the surrounding elements of the film as a whole. Much of the 91-minute run-time is spent in quieter moments of upfront threat, largely from Tim Roth's gang leader Sugarman.

He's hunting down Kōki's titular Tornado, a young woman whose puppeteer father (Takehiro Hira) is killed by Sugarman when a hunt for gold that he stole leads back to the pair. Thus begins a cat and mouse journey across 1790s Scotland which feels inspired by a number of classic westerns. Both in the simplistic narrative and the restrained interactions of characters and how they process events.

The action eventually follows in the latter stages, well executed and effectively timed as it really builds itself up in stages. Yet, there's a growing tension alongside the growing confidence of the central character as she truly realises her skills with a samurai sword, even amongst the non-linear narrative.

Writer-director John Mclean is as interested in the drama, perhaps even more so, as he is with the swift bursts of action. He certainly frames them in the same way. This especially being the case when it comes to Tornado's development, with Kōki bringing a compelling nature to the different examples of quietness she carries herself with from the start. Especially against the sneering greed and contempt of Roth's villain - with him playing an antagonist with the awareness that it's a supporting performance.

Much of what draws us into the film is equally quiet and restrained, yet, much like the skills and confidence of the title character, this grows to be more clear and aware as things develop. The pacing of the film is undoubtedly slow, but it doesn't push the short run-time. It allows for the stages to feel gradual and for the drama to grow as part of that to bring out the character elements.

The film as a whole is kept relatively simple, but holds a solid style with an effect to be found in the time period setting and just how Maclean captures the unfolding events at different points in time - with one main switch stopping things from feeling as if they're constantly jumping back and forth.

It makes for an enjoyable and engaging time which manages to bring you in early on, establishing its threat and early beats of tension with only a few hints of initial context. From there things grow to make for an even more engaging samurai western without entering show-offish or grandiose territory when the vengeful action properly comes in.

Four stars