The Wasteland Reviewer

Tornado (2025) Written Review

What is the cost of ambition and dangerous dreams? Tornado is a new samurai/western that explores the consequences of a young girl’s reckless choice to bring her father and her a better life. This film is a unique twist on a century old genre of film. This young girl, Tornado (Kiko), is the daughter of a puppeteer in a traveling show. A rustic and desolate Scottish land in the 1790s is the perfect battleground for the violent and vengeance filled tale. Tornado hoped for a better life. A bag of stolen gold. A murdered father. The chase and death ensue. 

What does writer/director John Maclean bring to the table behind the camera? Maclean crafted a gorgeous and enthralling western just around 10 years ago called Slow West. Criminally underseen but one of the best westerns of the 2010s. The approach from a visual standpoint is quite different in Tornado but still reaches the heights of full creative realization. Tornado is a stark and raw experience with their tough and rugged atmosphere. There is plenty of girt to this film and Maclean leverages the Scottish landscape to maximum effect. The film drops you right into action and never really lets up on the danger afoot. There is rising tension through every minute of the film’s runtime that will keep you on edge. The cinematography from Robbie Ryan is sharp, precise, and striking. There is a puppet performance at one point that comes to life in such a visceral and impactful way. The sound design and everything is fully committed to Maclean’s vision. 

Does the film match impressive filmmaking with an equally impressive script? If you are looking from a narrative perspective, not quite. This is a loose film to say the least. There are only a few distinct narrative beats (the theft of the gold and murder of Tornado’s father) and the rest is a cat and mouse game between this young samurai and the gang that pursues her. There are plenty of strong and memorable moments throughout the film, but the overall structure is not something to write home about. But the strength in the script comes from the themes and the conflicts that are explored in it. The heart of the film is the relationship between Tornado and her father. If we do not buy into their relationship, then we cannot invest in the revenge plot or the impressive skills that Tornado has learned. But this is not the only parental dynamic in the film. The conflict and tension between Sugarman (Tim Roth), the leader of this gang, and his ambitious son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), who wants more control and has his own nefarious motivation as part of this gang. The idea of this young woman taking out each member of the gang systematically is a familiar and expected plot, but Maclean can leverage uneasy character dynamics within the gang to expand upon different conflicts and offer up a film that is a bit more unpredictable. 

Do the actors bringing this film to life offer up something interesting and dynamic? High praise needs to go to Kiko who sells the role of Tornado so well. We buy her resourcefulness and her skills through Kiko’s physicality in the role. We see the tension and fear as this gang closes in around her. One of the most interesting and standout performances is from Takehiro Kira as Fujin (Tornado’s father). His showmanship during the performance scenes is so authentic and entertaining. His chemistry with Kiko is great and he does a lot of heavy lifting for his limited screen time. Then you have the duo of Roth and Lowden. The veteran presence and gravity that Roth brings to the film as the leader of the gang. He has a quiet menace for sure. Lowden brings an unpredictable energy that shakes up the film through Little Sugar’s actions. There is a mystery in Lowden’s performance that keeps the tension high throughout the film. This gang is an interesting band of misfits and the character actors who portray them do a great job making them stand out in their own ways. The biggest and most obvious is Game of Thrones alumnus Rory McCann as the aptly named Kitten. He is enormous and his presence is so sure and intense. 

Is Tornado worth the wait since Maclean’s impressive last feature? There are some obvious shortcomings this time around but there are some impressive heights as well. The visual experience and thrills are all there. This world-building and extra trappings (like the puppet show sequence) brings some great personality. The narrative is loose, and the pacing can be clunky, but Tornado is a creative and fresh mixture of samurai and western films. Hopefully, it will not be another 10 years waiting for Maclean’s next effort.