Tuner review – Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman in sweet harmony in safe-cracking thriller

. UK edition

Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall standing in a doorway waiting to be asked inside
In their own groove … Dustin Hoffman as Harry and Leo Woodall as Niki in Tuner. Photograph: Black Bear/PA

Playing a piano tuner with super sensitive hearing, Woodall’s relationship with Hoffman is a tender highlight in this unforced crime drama

Leo Woodall’s breakout TV roles in The White Lotus and One Day offered a megawatt charisma, but for his biggest film role to date he dims it to a soft glow with gentle performance opposite Dustin Hoffman as one of a pair of New York piano tuners. And what a pair they are; they are a real pleasure to watch in an easy, unforced drama that mixes romcom moments with a relaxed crime thriller. It’s like the Safdie brothers in chill out mode.

Woodall plays Niki, a tuner with exceptionally sensitive hearing who constantly wears earplugs to block out the deafeningly loud world. Niki works for veteran tuner Harry Horowitz, played with irresistible warmth by Hoffman. It’s highly skilled work but a running joke in the film is that rich clients treat them like odd job men – would you mind just unblocking the loo while you’re here?

When Harry forgets the combination to his safe, Niki discovers he has a skill for safe-cracking, thanks to his sensitive hearing. He also meets student composer Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu) while tuning the piano at a music conservatory. How they get together is nicely done: Ruthie is irritated by the disruption to her work by the arrival of the piano tuner, and she barely acknowledges Niki until she realises he has perfect pitch and can identify every note she plays. The scene taps into an undercurrent of class consciousness; the script is co-written by director Daniel Roher, a documentary maker who won an Oscar for his 2022 documentary Navalny, and Tuner is his feature-film debut.

It’s a bit of a disappointment when the story starts taking predictable turns. Niki meets Uri (Lior Raz), a guy who runs a home security company and has a side hustle robbing his clients. You can see where it’s going as soon as Uri gets wind of Niki’s safe-cracking skills. Still the characters do hold surprises even if the plot doesn’t, including Uri, who is not your average mob psycho but a shrewd and psychological manipulator of people. Some of the best moments are the unhurried scenes, Niki and Harry in their clapped out van, shooting the breeze, in a groove of their own.

• Tuner is out on 22 May in the US, 29 May in the UK and 11 June in Australia.