Tornado: Release date news, cast details and more about the upcoming period drama

Slow West director John Maclean's upcoming period drama Tornado is gearing up for a June 2025 release in the United Kingdom, with Lionsgate currently holding distribution rights. Following Glasgow Film Festival's early screenings, Tornado received a good amount of appreciation from the audience and eventually bagged decent numbers on RT.

Mitsuki Kimura, aka Kōki, is among the lead cast members of the much-anticipated action drama alongside Jack Lowden and Takehiro Hira (known from Shogun). The story revolves around a young woman and her father, whose somewhat simplistic lives take a 180-degree turn (in a bad way) after coming across some dangerous criminals out of the blue. The official synopsis of Tornado, per IMDb, reads:

"A Japanese puppeteer's daughter gets caught up with criminals when their show crosses paths with a crime gang, led by Sugarman and his son Little Sugar."

When will Tornado be released?

On June 13, 2025, Tornado is set for a theatrical premiere in the United Kingdom. With IFC Films holding distribution rights across the United States, the movie is set to hit select theaters in the country tomorrow (May 30). Moreover, Tornado shares a premiere date with potentially big box-office releases, namely Karate Kid: Legends and Bring Her Back.

What do we know about the plot of Tornado?

The plot of the movie centers on a young woman named Tornado (portrayed by Kōki) who only has her father (Fujin, played by Takehiro Hira) in her family. The two of them move around as a vagabond troop that displays Samurai shows and leads a carefree life (despite all the struggles).

Tornado ventures out each day with ambition fueling her dreams, but things do not go as planned for long. One fine day, the troop stumbles upon a group of dangerous criminals (out of the blue) while in transit. Sugarman is the name of the man leading the ruthless gang, and he is assisted by his son, who goes by the identity of Little Sugar.

However, when a large amount of gold gets stolen from the gang (which they also gained from a big heist) while Tornado was putting on her show in front of a small crowd, violence unfolded. As tension builds up and confrontation results, Tornado's father gets killed in the tumult.

Enraged by a close one's loss, with her enemies on a hunt to catch the thief, Tornado showcases her samurai prowess to seek vengeance. It is soon learned that the show she usually displays is not just a show, and they foreshadow her real fighting skills.

Who is in the cast of Tornado?

Mitsuki Kimura (Kōki) has played the titular character in Tornado, as she is joined by Takehiro Hira (who has portrayed the father of Tornado). Academy Award nominee Tim Roth is also a part of the cast, and he has taken up the role of Sugarman.

Among others in the cast of Tornado, we have: