🎴Tornado (2025): The Samurai Storm Unleashed in 18th Century Scotland

Revenge. Honor. Redemption. A warrior’s path knows no border.

🌪️ Tornado: A Samurai’s Wrath Sweeps Across the Highlands

Prepare for a storm of emotion and sword-clashing fury as Tornado (2025), a British period action drama written and directed by John Maclean, slices its way onto Lionsgate Play this October 31st. Blending the meditative calm of Japanese samurai tradition with the raw ruggedness of the Scottish Highlands, Tornado is not just a film — it’s a haunting legend reborn.

Starring Kōki, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira, and Tim Roth, this action epic delivers a cinematic duel between serenity and vengeance, east and west, blood and honor.

“A storm doesn’t ask permission before it changes the land,” says Tornado, eyes blazing under a rain-soaked sky.

⚔️ Plot: A Daughter’s Vengeance, A Warrior’s Code

Set in 1790s Scotland, the film follows Tornado, a young Japanese woman trained in the Samurai code by her father, Fujin (Takehiro Hira). When Fujin is murdered by the ruthless outlaw Sugarman (Tim Roth), Tornado’s world collapses — but her spirit rises sharper than her blade.

On the run through misty moors and ancient ruins, she hides in a mansion, finds refuge in a travelling circus, and builds fragile bonds with the performers — only to have them shattered again when Sugarman’s gang returns.As grief transforms into fury, Tornado embarks on a one-woman war of retribution. With every swing of her sword, she carves justice across the Scottish wilderness.

By the time she faces Sugarman one last time, he can barely whisper his dying words:

“You are... samurai.”

🗡️ Cast & Characters

• Kōki as Tornado – A young warrior bound by honor, haunted by loss.

• Jack Lowden as Little Sugar – Sugarman’s conflicted son, torn between cruelty and conscience.

• Takehiro Hira as Fujin – Tornado’s father, a samurai turned puppeteer whose death ignites the storm.

• Tim Roth as Sugarman – The brutal bandit leader whose greed and arrogance seal his fate.

• Joanne Whalley as Vienna Crawford – Circus matriarch offering refuge to the broken.

• Rory McCann as Kitten – Sugarman’s vicious lieutenant.

• Alex Macqueen as The Laird

• Ian Hanmore as Thief

🎬 Behind the Storm

• Directed by: John Maclean

• Written by: John Maclean

• Cinematography: Captures Scotland’s misty landscapes with a painter’s grace and a warrior’s focus.

• Starring: Kōki, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira, Tim Roth

• World Premiere: Glasgow Film Festival, February 26, 2025

• UK Release: June 13, 2025

• Streaming: Exclusively on Lionsgate Play, October 31, 2025

💥 Themes: The Samurai Spirit Meets Celtic Grit

Tornado stands apart as a bold experiment — a cross-cultural fusion of Japanese discipline and Scottish mysticism. It’s a film about the universality of grief, the weight of revenge, and the search for peace in chaos.Like Kurosawa’s ghosts wandering through a Highland fog, Maclean’s vision bridges two worlds — both fierce, both proud.

🏯 Why You Should Watch Tornado

If you loved The Last Samurai, Braveheart, or the visual poetry of The Assassin, this is your next must-watch. Tornado isn’t just action — it’s art in motion. With Kōki’s haunting performance and Tim Roth’s menacing gravitas, the film promises sword fights drenched in emotion and cinematic beauty as sharp as steel.

“Revenge is a storm that leaves no shelter,” Tornado whispers — before walking into the wind, her blade gleaming with both sorrow and strength.

📅 Release Details

• 🎞️ Title: Tornado (2025)

• 🗓️ Premiere: February 26, 2025 (Glasgow Film Festival)

• 🇬🇧 UK Release: June 13, 2025

• 📺 Streaming: Lionsgate Play, October 31, 2025

• 🎥 Genre: Samurai Action / Historical Drama

• 🌍 Languages: English, Japanese

🌪️ Conclusion: The Calm After the Storm

In the end, Tornado isn’t just a tale of vengeance — it’s a story about finding honor in heartbreak. Tornado’s journey through mist and memory mirrors every soul that’s ever fought for justice when the world turned cold. From the sacred discipline of the samurai to the rugged silence of the Highlands, her storm becomes a symbol of resilience — proving that even across oceans and centuries, the code of the warrior still lives.

When the swords are sheathed and the storm subsides, one truth remains:

“Peace isn’t the absence of war — it’s the courage to forgive after the fight.”

So, this Halloween on Lionsgate Play, brace yourself for a tempest of blades, blood, and beauty. Because Tornado doesn’t just cut — it stirs the soul. 🌧️⚔️