Review: “Tuner”

By Morgan Roberts

Director: Daniel Roher
Writers: Robert Ramsey, Daniel Roher
Stars: Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno, Dustin Hoffman
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2026

In director Daniel Roher’s latest feature, “Tuner,” the filmmaker tackles the heist genre with a musically inclined twist in his narrative feature debut. “Tuner” follows Niki (Leo Woodall), a piano tuner with exceptionally sensitive hearing. Niki and his mentor Harry (Dustin Hoffman) travel throughout New York City, tending to the pianos of the wealthiest New Yorkers - for the most part. Despite their clientele, Harry’s financial struggles coupled with his ailing health come to a head. Wanting to help, Niki finds himself working for Uri (Lior Raz), a man who works in security with the more lucrative side hustle of robbing his rich clients. To complicate matters further, Niki meets student composer Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) at her university. At first feeling contempt towards him, Ruthie and Niki embark on a relationship, one eventually threatened by his double life.

It is hard to reinvent the wheel enough to keep a heist film fresh while also leaning into the elements which make a genre such as this so timeless. The music aspect of the film certainly sets it apart from other heist films. At a time when live performance is becoming less accessible for working class people, to have that as a central element in the film aids the direction of “Tuner” as Niki embarks on these robberies. Moreover, as someone who took many music lessons, the arts are always important culturally and yet, so often, particularly in the United States, the ability to purse music, writing, etc. is relegated to affluence, making is cumbersome for people like Harry and Niki to make a living in that field. “Tuner” does not necessarily outwardly dive into the aspect, but when the film chooses to juxtapose Harry’s and Niki’s working class circumstances with those of their wealthy clients, it is not difficult to see the stark differences in their realities.

Havana Rose Liu and Leo Woodall in “Tuner” | Courtesy of Black Bear

The music aspect is also expanded upon with the Ruthie character, a woman working on her Master’s degree in music composition. The pursuit of musical eduction is refreshing to see on screen as I think in our current sociopolitical circumstances, the arts and higher education face continued devaluation. This element certainly adds stakes to the situation given the interpersonal relationships connected to the music elements in the film. The mentor-mentee relationship between Harry and Niki serves as a catalyst throughout the film. While veteran actor Hoffman plays curmudgeon old New Yorker well, Woodall tends to carry the sincerity in this dynamic, giving a little more texture to this pair. Additionally, the romance storyline in the film work because of the chemistry between Woodall and Liu. The pair give really great performances, making their respective characters feel like people prior to their meeting. Woodall gives Niki a silently stoic exterior eventually revealing his insecurities and desires for connection, while Liu plays into Ruthie’s prickly facade before exposing her inner works, her fears, and her bereavement. They are able to make these two characters feel inevitably drawn to one another.

What does not aid “Tuner,” however, is the script. Co-written by Roher and Robert Ramsey, there are times the tension feels unrealistically manufactured. For a movie about a heist, there are moments that dynamics shift so inorganically, it frankly took me by surprise. It seems that the struggle came between understanding the heightened nature of the heist elements and balancing realistic relationship tensions. There is one particular fight between Niki and Ruthie that feels so forced, I had to wonder if either screenwriter had experienced interpersonal conflict before, which is such a shame since it truly undermined the performances on screen.

“Tuner” certainly takes a fresh spin on the heist genre. The script certainly leaves something to be desired, but the performances at the core of the film absolutely save this film.

Grade: B-

Double Feature With: “Point Break” (1991) dir. Kathryn Bigelow