Tuner Review
Tuner is an innovative little thriller that blends a cute romance, strong lead performance and intriguing conceit with a solid crime plot. It hits all the right notes.
Niki (Leo Woodall) had to give up his piano dreams after developing a condition making him hyper sensitive to sounds, but he uses that now to help him tune pianos for Harry (Dustin Hoffman). An accidental run in with some criminals reveals this ability can also be used to break into safes, and with the competing pressures of his mentor, boss and friend being hospitalised, and a burgeoning romance with Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), Niki finds himself being drawn deeper into this web of criminality.
Tuner is kind of a neat little mix between Whiplash, Sound of Metal, and Drive. It’s got plenty of the heist elements from classic crime capers - a hero getting himself in deeper and deeper - but with an equal part of burgeoning romance, love of music and love of New York.
The film is engrossing throughout. Woodall is really fantastic in the lead role, and his relationships both with Havana Rose Liu’s Ruthie, and Hoffman’s Harry, feel lived in and earned. The film is gorgeously shot without being too particularly stylised, and while the Jean Reno appearance at the end feels a little odd and some of the side characters feel like they are playing in a different film, for the most part this movie really sings.
Where Tuner really sets itself apart is in the sound design, which is remarkable. The filmmakers have a lot of fun playing with the audible impacts of Niki’s disability, and it lends the film a very unique soundscape.
Overall, Tuner both fits snugly into its mould, while also on occasion breaking it. It’s a competent and engaging crime thriller that will genuinely have you rooting for the main characters. A surprising joy.
