Tuner
May 28th, 2026
MOVIE: TUNER
STARRING: LEO WOODALL, DUSTIN HOFFMAN, HAVANA ROSE LIU, TOVAH FELDSHUH
DIRECTED BY: DANIEL ROHER
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 109 MINUTES
Audio and heist movies go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are countless examples: in the French film Rififi, the sound during the jewel heist is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. In Baby Driver, the music moves with the characters while the characters move to the music. And nothing compares to the shocking crack of gunfire in Michael Mann’s Heat. The fact is, sound design matters in a heist film, and Daniel Roher’s Tuner gets it exactly right, and then some. This is a charming, thrilling, and creative heist film about a man who uses his hearing condition to crack safes. The result is an original and endlessly entertaining movie that sounds just right.
The story begins with two men, Niki White (Leo Woodall) and Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), who operate Harry’s piano-tuning company, traveling door to door to service establishments with pianos in need of tuning. Harry is battling dementia, while Niki suffers from hyperacusis, an audio condition that causes sharp, loud noises to painfully overwhelm him. Yet his condition also gives him an extraordinary sensitivity to softer sounds. When Harry lands in the hospital with mounting medical bills, Niki becomes entangled with a shady security crew that recruits him to crack safes, hoping to earn enough money to help his dear friend.
Like watching a magician or a smooth poker player at work, Tuner is captivating because its lead character is captivating. Niki uses patience, precision, and his extraordinary hearing to carefully open safe after safe. What Roher accomplishes is not just an effective heist thriller, but also a touching love story. Ruthie (played by the lovely Havana Rose Liu) is a piano prodigy, while Niki was once a gifted player himself before his condition limited his ability to perform. There’s something tragic about being an expert at tuning a piano while life unfairly prevents you from becoming one of the great musicians. As the two gradually fall in love, Niki wrestles with whether to tell Ruthie where his money comes from, all while dealing with the growing pressure from the dangerous men who employ him.
The screenplay, written by Robert Ramsey and Roher, crafts a structure filled with twists, though one thing remains certain- like most heist films, the good times can only last so long. Part of the fun is watching Niki live a double life: expert safecracker by night, devoted caretaker and loving boyfriend by day. He makes large sums of money, pays Harry’s hospital bills, and tries to maintain some sense of normalcy, all while keeping his criminal life hidden. Roher’s direction constantly makes us anticipate disaster, yet still manages to surprise us when the inevitable collapse finally arrives.
Tuner is both creative and captivating, one of the more unique heist films in recent memory. It further proves Leo Woodall’s effortless movie-star charisma while giving Dustin Hoffman a warm supporting role filled with gentle charm. If anything, the film is also a reminder of how beautiful the piano can be, even if that is not its central theme. Still, it does leave me wondering: can all piano tuners break into safes? If they can, let’s just hope they either have- or haven’t- seen Tuner.
3 ½ STARS
TUNER IS PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE FRIDAY, MAY 29TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
