I had the pleasure of seeing Tuner at a film festival ahead of its May 22 theatrical release. Director Daniel Roher co-wrote the solid heist flick with Robert Ramsey, hitting mostly the right notes. With its fast cutting and music-filled thrill, the romp has many aptly comparing it to Baby Driver. It succeeds in many of the same ways after all.
The story follows Niki White (Leo Woodall), an innocent piano prodigy sidelined by hyperacusis. The ailment causes everyday sounds to be intolerable and painful. Using his disorder to his advantage, he becomes an excellent piano tuner; and due to some fun contrivances, learns how to crack safes. When his boss/father figure/mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), falls ill, Niki gets roped into paying off his medical debt by cracking safes in rich houses.
While Woodall and Hoffman both give outstanding performances, I can’t go without mentioning Havana Rose Liu as Ruthie and Lior Raz as Uri. Liu is magnetic as the pretentious but caring Ruthie. The last shot of Ruthie carries so many emotions that it alone made me a fan of Liu. Raz is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, injecting pure adrenaline into an otherwise predictable plot.
Tuner’s third act, while exciting, stumbles at times. I scratched my head at some of the baffling character choices and some loose ends. But Will Bates’ electrifying score, Marius de Vries’ beautiful piano compositions, and Johnnie Burn’s sound design is a welcome distraction from all that. Burn’s pitch-perfect sound design complements the sharp editing so well that I physically cringed at the more agonizing moments. Burn may need to make some more space on his mantle for another Oscar.
Tuner tackles a hearing disorder, the healthcare system, questions about morality and fairness, the struggles of surviving, how dreams can easily be made or broken, “eating the rich”, jealousy, love, and what you would do for your family. Seems like a lot for a movie whose runtime is only 104 minutes. But Tuner handles it all with subtlety and quick-wittedness. It never feels like the film is shoving any of the messages down your gullet. Rather, it plays a ballad of these struggles and lets you immerse yourself in the world.
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