TIN SOLDIER (2025)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Brad Furman
Cast: Scott Eastwood, Jamie Foxx, Robert De Niro, John Leguizamo, Rita Ora, Nora Arnezeder, Shamier Anderson, Saïd Taghmaoui
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 30 October 2025

Synopsis: When the leader of a dangerous cult triggers a standoff with authorities, a former soldier returns to the compound he left many years prior to face down the man he used to follow and search for his missing wife.

Movie Review:

What attracted Oscar winners Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro to a script like Tin Soldier is probably a more interesting story than the movie itself.

Scott Eastwood stars as army veteran Nash Cavanaugh, a PTSD sufferer who joins a rehabilitation program for ex-soldiers. The program, originally founded by fellow veteran Leon K. Prudhomme (Foxx), has since transformed into a dangerous cult. Leon, now calling himself “The Bokushi,” presides over a compound complete with armed followers, breeding mothers and child disciples.

Nash falls in love with a fellow participant, Evoil (Nora Arnezeder) and the two attempt to escape to start a new life. Their plan fails when The Bokushi’s forces intervene — Evoil is presumed dead and Nash ends up recruited by government agent Emmanuel Ashburn (De Niro) to infiltrate the cult and take down its self-proclaimed messiah.

On paper, the premise sounds promising — a gritty action thriller exploring how trauma and misplaced loyalty can turn soldiers into zealots. Unfortunately, the film quickly collapses under the weight of muddled storytelling. Endless flashbacks, hazy hallucinations and tedious, pseudo-philosophical voiceovers turn what could have been a lean, engaging action piece into a pretentious slog.

Director Brad Furman clearly wanted Tin Soldier to be more than a generic action flick. He tries to inject emotional depth into Nash’s struggle with PTSD, giving Eastwood the chance to show some range. But despite his earnest effort, Eastwood remains wooden. De Niro, meanwhile, appears in a handful of scenes, delivering his lines with the casual gravitas of a man who knows he’s done this a hundred times before. The one who seems to enjoy himself most is Foxx — sporting a wild wig, breaking into an out-of-place song and fully embracing the role of an eccentric cult leader.

The supporting cast including John Leguizamo, Shamier Anderson, Saïd Taghmaoui and even Rita Ora feels like a collection of cameos from people who either owed Furman a favor or were simply too polite to say no. After all, since The Lincoln Lawyer, Furman hasn’t directed anything particularly memorable.

Visually, Tin Soldier tries hard to look cinematic, with plenty of explosions (both CGI and practical), jittery handheld camerawork and even a laughable gladiator-style duel between Nash and The Bokushi. Sadly, none of it compensates for the incoherent plot and flat pacing.

If there were an award for “Most Star-Studded Misfire of the Year,” Tin Soldier would be a strong contender.

Movie Rating:

(A star-studded, incoherent and painfully dull action movie)

Review by Linus Tee