Documentarian Daniel Roher makes the switch to features with this close to pitch perfect thriller that manages to cross genres in style to announce him as an exciting talent in this new arena and offers Leo Woodall a great vehicle for his talents.
Niki (Leo Woodall), a once-promising virtuoso, works as a piano tuner with Harry (Dustin Hoffman), utilising his incredibly sensitive hearing (the result of a medical condition that means he can no longer play) to fine tune instruments across New York. On a job at a conservatoire, he meets Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), a composition student, and with some gently mischievous interference from Harry, despite reticence from the pair, and the fallout of a damaged piano, a relationship begins to blossom. Meanwhile, in an attempt to help retrieve items from a sage Harry has locked himself out of, Niki learns his hearing can be applied to safe-cracking. When working late one night in a grand mansion, his work is disrupted by the sound of drilling; Niki stumbles across a group, led by Uri (Lior Raz) drilling into a safe and in an attempt to get them to be quiet as soon as possible so he can continue with his work, Harry agrees to help them open it. He is soon pulled further into their web, turning his life on its head and leading him into danger.
This is a thriller mix a cut above the rest, not simply because of its clever conceit, but because of its strong characterisations and the distinct rhythms and energy of Roher’s direction. It is an easy film to fall into, absorbing you into a completely believable world with compelling characters and an engaging plot. It is brilliantly paced and sufficiently lean, allowing time for characters to breath and relationships to unfold whilst keeping a jazzy pace in switching between the ebb and flow of character drama alongside the thrill of a heist. It is an assured mix of genres that Roher handles deftly. Chaos is brought into harmony as it skews effortlessly between romance, drama and thriller, with a healthy dose of comedy sprinkled in where appropriate. Roher makes you feel as though you are in safe hands.
Niki’s sensitive hearing is both his superpower and Achilles heel. He has perfect pitch and astute affinity for his instrument, something that serves as his battle armour in his first meeting with Ruthie as he interrupts her rehearsal to do his work. However, his hearing is so sensitive he must always wear ear plugs and even noise-cancelling headphones in some environments, making his weak spot obvious and there to be threatened as he falls deeper into the criminal world. The film’s sound design is exceptional in bringing us into Niki’s world and making us pay close attention to every slight sound, ratcheting up the tension. The sound and music are an integral part of the storytelling, with Roher using both to full effect, choreographing his camera and cuts to harmonise with the feeling of the sound, whether that is in moments of excitement or high-stakes tension. There are shades of Whiplash across the film, not just in the music but Roher’s quick-cut editing that add style and rhythm to the proceedings, always used effectively, not relied upon as a gimmick. He also keeps the camera close, bringing us into these characters’ worlds, telling an intimate story even as its reach expands.
The film’s strongest asset is the story’s grounding in its well-drawn characters and their relationships. It takes the time to build up a sense of who our protagonists are, with each brought to life with a perfectly judged performance. Woodall further establishes his leading man credentials with a gentler performance that draws you in, with hard and soft layers revealed at different turns and his wants and intentions never in question even as he starts down a darker path. His tender relationship with Harry is beautifully rendered, with great dialogue scenes clearly painting their dynamic and history in a way that feels both natural and charming. Hoffman is reliably charismatic as Harry, bringing a colourful character to life in a way that never veers towards the cartoonish or cliché and his scenes with Tova Feldshuh as his wife, Marla, are sparkling, decades of a relationship writ large across their dynamic. Liu’s Ruthie, too, is a rounded character in and of herself, with a life and desires beyond her relationship with Niki; she can be prickly and softer as the walls between the pair slowly erode. Their romance develops slowly and believably, building in a satisfying way that earns real investment from the audience and offering both heartwarming moments and flashes of friction. All of this builds organically, with development or moments of drama never feeling overwrought.
The thriller aspect is kept relatively low-key, mostly evading cliché, before escalating later on. The crime scenes are exciting and become increasingly dark as Niki is dragged further into Uri’s world and discovers the consequences of trying to back out. The film does veer into more predictable territory in the latter stages of this thread and the criminal undertakings overtake the character drama to a degree. However, the investment built in Niki keeps you engaged, and Roher weaves it back into the greater picture with a brilliant final scene.
A compelling, character-driven thriller with a novel premise, Tuner has a classic feel with a fresh perspective and feels as though it will reward rewatches. An easy film to really like, this is a real treat.
