‘Tuner’ Review: A Thrilling New Kind of Heist Movie
4/5 pianos
The new film Tuner from director Daniel Roher takes us into the world of men who keep our pianos tuned and ready to play. It doesn’t sound thrilling but Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsey use their simple set up to make something exciting and fresh.
Niki (Leo Woodall) works with Harry (Dustin Hoffman) at his tuning company. The two go around, making sure all the pianos of the rich are in tune despite most of the pianos not being played. But when Harry has a health issue and his wife, played by Tovah Feldshuh, reveals to Niki how in debt they are, he decides to do somethin to help.
Through his journey tuning, Niki learns he has a special skill: He can break into safes. Niki has a hearing condition that means he’s very sensitive to sound. He can still hear and doesn’t wear hearing aids but it makes it hard for him to continue to play music, even though he has perfect pitch. All of these factors lead to Niki being a pretty great safe cracker and that’s why he ends up getting mixed up with the wrong people.
Roher and Ramsey take the time to set up Niki’s story in a way that makes you feel for him. When he meets Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), he’s shy but almost forced into a “meet-cute” with her thanks to Harry. And that gives us a look into his persona and ability to flirt. But even with Niki’s motivations being pure, especially when it comes to helping Harry and his wife, it still leads him down a path that is anything but safe.
Tuner does reinvent a heist movie but rather allows the audience in on the journey in a new way, making it both thrilling and unpredictable.
Leo Woodall shines as Niki
Fans of Leo Woodall knows that he always brings his A game to his work but Niki might be his best role yet. The White Lotus star has a quiet intensity to him when playing Niki and you want to know more. Unfortunately, the only person really giving information on Niki is Harry. Through the beginning, we really only know anything because Harry tells it to others.
Niki is like Harry’s nephew but is more of a family friend. His hearing condition makes him wear ear plugs and headphones but he is listening. And the only thing we really learn about Niki in that first section of the film that he willing shares comes from a scene with Ruthie where he doesn’t charge her to tune her piano because she’s someone who actually plays it. He respects the instrument and that’s beautiful to me, especially when the film pivots into a heist film in the second act.
It is almost hard to talk about Tuner because you just want the audience to enjoy it but there are things to praise, like Woodall’s performance and the dedication to pianos. That last thing might just be for me and my classically trained mind but still. Overall, Tuner is a fascinating watch and one you just need to experience for yourself.
(featured image: Elevation Pictures)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
