“Tuner” a highly entertaining crime thriller
Published 11:57 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026
This image released by Black Bear shows Leo Woodall in a scene from “Tuner.” (Black Bear via AP)
There’s something pretty special about “Tuner.”
The new film from director Daniel Roher, and co-written by Robert Ramsey, mixes a lot of intriguing elements – a stellar cast, some of the year’s best editing and a wonderful script that manages to take a familiar formula and give it a fresh, intriguing span.
This is can’t-miss cinema.
“Tuner” stars Leo Woodall as Nick, a young man that was once a piano prodigy despite suffering from a disorder that makes him allergic to loud noises. Nick is still around the piano, working for his late father’s friend Harry (Dustin Hoffman in a fantastic supporting role) who runs a piano tuning business.
When Harry is hospitalized and the bills start to mount, Nick becomes a safe cracker (a gift that he learns he has in the early scenes of the film) for a thief named Uri (Lior Raz).
At the same time Nick meets a grad student named Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), a piano virtuoso of her own, and the two begin a relationship.
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As the safe cracking becomes more a tangled web, Nick finds that he has not only put himself but perhaps those around him in danger as well.
“Tuner” is the kind of thriller that Hoffman would have starred in during the 1970s and early ’80s, sleek and stylish but also one that understands its audience relishes complicated nuances. Roher’s screenplay, co-written with Robert Ramsey, takes its time to allow all of these characters to develop and provides enough turns in the story that even when it feels like you know where it is going it still is presented in a fresh and original way.
Roher’s direction is also sharp. After making his mark in documentaries, including the Academy Award winning “Navalny,” Roher shows he has a keen eye for a narrative feature as well. “Tuner” zips along at a brisk pace with some strong sequences and exceptional work from editor Greg O’Bryant, who really makes these moments pop off the screen.
The cast is just as strong, headlined by Woodall in a star-making role. He proves to be a natural leading man – a nice mix of charisma, charm and vulnerability. Hoffman is having a lot of fun, while Liu brings depth to a role that a lot of other films would have just seen as a throwaway role.
It all comes together to create one of 2026’s most entertaining experiences – a film that will deserves to be seen and fully appreciated on the big screen.
Grade: A-
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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