Cast: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell
Synopsis: Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger in The Tourist. During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Angelina Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Review:
THE TOURIST seemed like typical Hollywood action cinema. Put two of the most bankable stars opposite each other, throw in guns, the illusion of sex, a bit of romance and wrap it in a spy thriller for good measure. That’s exactly what it was.
Jolie and Depp actually had good chemistry. The conversation between the two of them on the train was well written and performed. It was perhaps the most ‘honest’ moment of the movie.
Depp is a character actor. His acting is done with his face, particularly his eyes. This method was somewhat restrained here. In PUBLIC ENEMIES Depp proved he cannot play a straight character. He has to have some element of ‘kooky’ to be able to deliver a role. While there were some nice comedic moments of characterisation and the line about “upgraded from room service..” that is spoilt in the trailer there was not the usual Depp spark that audiences are used to.
Jolie’s last outing was in SALT. Jolie does the spy thing well. She even manages romance. The most impressive role this reviewer has seen her in was CHANGELING. Jolie does drama well. This film, unlike SALT, lacked real drama. There was certainly action, but WANTED and TOMB RAIDER are better examples of her as an action star.
Paul Bettany is consistently good. A BEAUTIFUL MIND, MASTER & COMMANDER, DA VINCI CODE and CREATION all demonstrate this. Whilst his character was the Scotland Yard agent in charge of catching Jolie’s lover Alexander Pearce at the centre of the story, there were no real moments of great weight for the audience to enjoy Bettany at his best, which was disappointing.
It is only at time of writing that this reviewer finds out Rufus Sewell was in this film. This suggests the moment was fleeting or that his character was too wishy washy to be of any great importance. Although he may be still trading on his DARK CITY outing, he is certainly worthy of a decent role.
The four scribes that penned this film included Christopher McQuarrie (USUAL SUSPECTS). Sadly it was the script that was the worst thing about the move. Hopefully McQuarrie was responsible for the scenes this reviewer liked. The climax to the movie was the biggest disappointment. It seemed like everyone realised the script was too long and had too many lose ends so logic was thrown out the window and any scraps of a decent ending were discarded to end proceedings abruptly.
Cinematographer John Seale has polarising examples of work in his CV. PRINCE OF PERSIA and HARRY POTTER are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. TOURIST sits comfortably in the middle. It was well pieced together, scenes well lit and locations well used. This does not a stellar movie make however.
This was the director’s second feature, and his first Hollywood feature. It was competent, and he did well with the material he was given. It was a coup to score Bettany, Depp and Jolie, though it won’t be the best film any of them ever does.
CHECK OUT A ‘MAKING OF’ FEATURETTE AND THE TRAILER BELOW…
I doubt this needs a second viewing
Good review mate. I thought they could have done much more with the story and, as you said, in the end it was the script that let it down.