Tornado Is The New Period Drama Thriller To Watch Out For
If you’re a fan of Slow Horses, it’s star Jack Lowden (who plays River) is in another British thriller this year: the cryptically titled Tornado.
Starring Lowden opposite Japanese singer-songwriter Kōki, the film is set in Britain in the 1790s, following one of the performers in a travelling puppet show after it becomes entangled in a gang of criminals. Tornado also features Tim Roth (Tim Star) and Takehiro Hira (Shogun), and is set for release in May- here’s all you need to know:
What is Tornado about?
Despite its name, Tornado isn’t about giant twisting winds à la Twisters, rather it’s the name of the film’s main protagonist, played by Kōki. Tornado is part of a Samurai puppet show that is touring around Britain in the late 18th century, which is run by her father, Fujin (Hira). This simple life of theirs however is interrupted when the travelling show crosses paths with a band of criminals, which are happy to take advantage of the troupe. The leader of the gang is a man known as “Sugarman” (Roth), alongside his son “Little Sugar” (Lowden.) As things get out of hand, the merciless and brutal outlaws murder Fujin, leaving Torando grieving and desiring vengeance. Exacting her revenge, however, will not be easy.
Now without anyone to guide her and left with only her wits to survive and eventually rebuild her life, Tornado is forced to hatch an elaborate plan in order to destroy Sugarman’s gang. The criminals have recently stolen a large amount of gold as part of a heist, and this sparks an idea for her to play them at their own game and take the valuable metal for herself. Luckily, she was trained by her father in samurai sword fighting- setting her up for a battle for her life as she goes after those who so wronged her. It sounds like a fascinating blend of classic samurai films, with a modern, gritty take and a British/Japanese cast.
What else do we know, and is there a release date?
Tornado will be first premiering at the Glasgow Film Festival on 20th February, and will then release in the UK and Ireland on 23rd May. There’s currently no trailer yet.
