Film about piano tuner-turned-safe cracker is ‘perfectly composed’

“Tuner” is an unusually smart movie that starts good and stays good. Leo Woodall (“The White Lotus”) plays Niki, a piano tuner who innocently discovers he can also use his specialized hearing abilities to open safes. And when his mentor and dear friend, Harry, played by Dustin Hoffman, finds himself in need of money, Niki is compelled to use his powers for ill.

This is a movie full of interesting things, and the crime aspect is just one part of it. It is also a lovely film about an old piano tuner and his protégé, who is also a close family friend, and their camaraderie as they drive around, fixing pianos and listening to jazz tapes. It’s also a movie about music, and it’s also a movie about a romance between Niki and a talented pianist he meets. These elements are perfectly weighted to deliver a film of maximum impact that is nevertheless sprightly and propulsively watchable.