Year: 2024
Director: John MacLean
Writer: John MacLean
Producers: Leonora Darby, James Harris and Mark Lane
Executive Producers: Ashland Hill’s Joe Simpson, Simon Williams, Andy Wang and Matthew Chausse
Director of Photography: Robbie Ryan
Cast: Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Kōki
Production Company: Tea Shop Productions
Screen Scotland support: The film accessed National Lottery funding through Screen Scotland’s Film Development and Production Fund
Synopsis
Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, Tornado (Kōki) is a young and determined Japanese woman who finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father’s (Takehiro) travelling puppet Samurai show crosses paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Lowden).
In an attempt to create a new life for herself, Tornado seizes the opportunity to take matters into her own hands and steal the gold from their most recent heist. With her father murdered by the gang and her life in grave danger, what follows is a thrilling tale of adrenaline-fuelled action, as Tornado races against time to escape a violent demise and avenge her father's death.
Armed with her father's Samurai training, Tornado leaves a trail of devastation and bloody revenge in her wake, in this unforgettable tour-de-force thriller which promises to be both an homage and a fresh reinvention of the great traditional Japanese samurai films.
More information
Tornado began principal photography in January 2024.