EFP 62: Writer-director John Maclean on his samurai western Tornado

On this episode of the podcast, host Dr Pasquale Iannone sits down with Scottish writer-director (and University of Edinburgh alumnus) John Maclean to talk about his second feature Tornado (2025). The film had its world premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival in February and went on general release in the UK in mid-June.Set in late 18th century Scotland, Maclean's film tells of a young Japanese woman (Kōki) who makes a living performing Samurai puppet shows with her father Fujin (Takehiro Hira). One day, their paths cross with a rag-tag group of criminals led by the ruthless, stone-faced Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). Events then take a more sinister turn.Beautifully shot in widescreen by John’s regular collaborator Robbie Ryan, Tornado is lean, muscular filmmaking - a heady, inventive Scottish take on the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa and the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone.John tells Pasquale about his entry into filmmaking via the lo-fi music videos he made for The Beta Band, the group he co-founded in the 1990s. He also discusses his influences, his preference for storyboarding, his approach to casting, music and much more.

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