TUNER is an entertaining crime thriller driven whose premise and prelude are appealing. A promising piano prodigy turned piano tuner's precision ear proves advantageous to cracking into combination safes. Leo Woodall ("White Lotus") plays Niki, the sultry and skillful young piano tuner who partners with Harry, played by the legendary Dustin Hoffman. Harry and his wife Maria (a terrific Tovah Feldshuh) are the bickering, bantering couple who love each other and Niki whom they regard as their son. The hilarious overture to the film begins with a montage of piano tuning jobs where Harry and Niki have to deal with obnoxious clients. The two are called to repair a piano for an elite musical university where Ruthie (an alluring Havana Rose) is now practicing. Ruthie, an inspiring composer/pianist is put out by the interruption but there's an undercurrent of attraction between the two. When Ruthie's heirloom piano is drenched by rain she calls up Niki to try to help her save the piano. A love serenade between the two is composed and all is harmonious until Harry needs hospitalization and a miracle to pay his bills. While tuning a piano on an exclusive estate, Niki is unable to work because of noise in the house. Niki has a condition called hypercusis, a hearing condition that make everyday sounds unbearable which is why he dons earplugs at all times. When he scopes out the source of the noise it's coming from the security guards who are trying to drill open a safe. The security "thugs" tell him to get lost unless he can open the safe which he promptly does. Uri (Lior Raz) head boss of bumbling thieves knows a good thing when he see it and promises Niki big money if comes to work for him. Niki is driven to cracking safes to pay for Harry's hospital bills and to have some cash and gifts for Ruthie. The film turns somewhat flat and predictable once it shifts to heist jobs. When Niki wants to stop his life of crime Uri shows up at Maria's home during Harry's memorial and threatens to harm his girlfriend's hands if won't continue. The stellar acting keeps the plot on pitch. The musical scenes and the relationship between Niki, Ruthie Harry and Maria elevate the film. TUNER is an easily watchable film. But once the film shifts key after Harry's death from drama and romance to crime thriller, it becomes something we've seen before. And, what are the odds that the one piece of jewelry Niki swiped to give Ruthie comes back to haunt him? Nevertheless,
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