Photo © IFC Films
Kôki in Tornado (2025)
Kôki in Tornado (2025)
Tornado
(In Theaters May 30)
Writer-director John Maclean marries the samurai film to the American western, and sets his story in late 18th century England. His icy palette unfolds beneath overcast skies, where teenage Tornado (Kōki) is a Japanese puppeteer and Sword-fighting expert. Along with her samurai father, Fujin (Takehiro Hira), Tornado wanders this landscape to perform life-sized puppet shows for meager returns. When she spies two bags of unattended gold coins, Tornado steals them to buy herself a better life, but she fails to understand that the gang she stole from will hunt her relentlessly. Their leader is Sugarman (Tim Roth), whose son, rebellious Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), is one of several other gang members. They pursue Tornado on foot. Despite her being clever, she can’t shake them. Once Tornado accepts that escape is impossible, she puts her sword to work. Gritty and engaging, most of the action occurs in the countryside where gruesome confrontations are apt to play out in the distance and at the edge of the screen. (Lisa Miller)
Bring Her Back
(In Theaters May 30)
Horror films are inherently disturbing, but the genius of directors Danny and Michael Philippou is that this horror’s supernatural aspects are less disturbing than are its characters’ betrayals. Orphaned siblings Andy and Piper (Billy Barratt and Sora Wong) are sent to live with foster parent Laura (Sally Hawkins), who seems nice—if overly attentive. Soon to be 18, Andy plans to get a job and care for his visually impaired, young teen sister, Piper. Laura’s other foster child, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), is non-verbal and self-mutilating. It isn’t long before Laura becomes abusive. Each character confronts tragic circumstances for which there are no easy fixes. Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman’s screenplay offers little comfort and even less hope. (Lisa Miller)
Karate Kid: Legends
(In Theaters May 30)
This sixth “Karate Kid: Legends” was filmed in 2023, only to have its release delayed until the sixth (and final) season of the Netflix spin-off, Cobra Kai, wrapped. “Legends” offers an Asian “Karate Kid,” named Li Fong (Ben Wang). He moves to NYC from China with his single mom, and is already accomplished in Kung Fu, but Mom forbids him from competing. Then Li falls for Mia (Sadie Stanley) whose ex-boyfriend (Aramis Knight) is a city-wide karate champ who means to take Li down. Needing help to defeat Mia’s ex in the ring, Li’s plight calls for karate training from Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), along with the original “Karate Kid,” portrayed by 63-year-old Ralph Macchio. Chan brings some levity to the shopworn dialog, while Macchio acquits his character with surprising dignity. Having recycled all the familiar franchise tropes, the film fails to capture the climactic showdown in a coherent or engaging manner. On the plus side, sequences that depict Li’s training with Chan and Macchio, are gratifying, if all too brief. (Lisa Miller)
Scent of Woman
(Shout! Studios Blu-ray/UHD)
Expensive boys’ prep academies have been settings for memorable films from Dead Poets Society through The Holdovers. They often feature a scholarship kid navigating the rocky shoreline of privilege. In Scent of Woman (1992), Charlie (Chris O’Donnell) is the boy “on aid,” as one classmate puts it. Unable to afford to travel for Thanksgiving weekend, he takes a job in town, looking after a retired military officer while the man’s family is away. Scent of Woman earned its Oscar through Al Pacino’s performance as Lieut. Col. Slade. He’s not just gruff but prickly, angry, disappointed with life as he berates Charlie with a mouthful of sharpened razor rebukes. When he reaches out to touch, we see the reason for his anger. The once brilliant intelligence officer is blind.
The new collector’s edition includes interviews with director Martin Brest and versions in Blu-Ray and UHD. Aficionados of Anthony Minghella’s brilliant The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) will recognize two of that film’s supporting cast members. In Scent of Woman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ripley’s nemesis, plays an arrogant prep student, and James Rebhorn, the prep school’s headmaster, is the millionaire that sends Ripley on his mission to Italy. (David Luhrssen)
To Live and Die and Live
(In Theaters May 30)
Muhammad (Amin Joseph), is already beset with worries when he flies from Los Angeles to Detroit for his father’s funeral. Family and friends consider Muhammad a big Hollywood success, and he wants to foster that image so keeps them in the dark regarding his financial woes. It’s a matter of pride that Muhammad agrees to pay off his father’s debts, but doing so requires that he call his agent to request an advance that he isn't likely to get. His need to self-medicate grows along with his drug and liquor intake, and every hour he can spend with a sexy woman (Skye P. Marshall), he met at a nightclub. Over and over, Muhammad’s wish to be a faithful Muslim falls victim to his self-destructive behavior. Written and directed by Qasim Basir, who acts as his own cinematographer, it’s impossible not to speculate regarding the story’s autobiographical content. A revitalized Detroit functions as yet another character. While some complain that the film seems incomplete, others insist that it’s all the better for what isn’t revealed. (Lisa Miller)
