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When Depp finally meets Jolie...
The Tourist (103 minutes, GK Films and Columbia Pictures) Starring: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell, Christian De Sica Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Writers: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Christopher McQuarrie, Julian Fellowes Producers: Graham King, Tim Headington, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman Moviegoers have been waiting, albeit impatiently, for this romantic thriller, which features two of Hollywood’s most engaging, talented and beautiful actors as its leads
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The Tourist (103 minutes, GK Films and Columbia Pictures)
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell, Christian De Sica
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writers: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Christopher McQuarrie, Julian Fellowes
Producers: Graham King, Tim Headington, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber,
Jonathan Glickman
Moviegoers have been waiting, albeit impatiently, for this romantic thriller, which features two of Hollywood’s most engaging, talented and beautiful actors as its leads.
The idea of placing Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie (Salt, Changeling) and Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, Public Enemy) against the backdrop of Venice was enticing.
The unlikely name of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck was also promising. The German director has received dozens of international awards, including the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his tyro feature, The Lives of Others.
The combination of two great actors and one big director promised much, but the film fell far short of my expectations.
The Tourist is a remake of Anthony Zimmer, a 2005 French romantic thriller directed by Jérôme Salle and starring Sophie Marceau.
Angelina Jolie plays Elise Clifton Ward, an elegantly dressed mysterious beauty who makes every man turn his head and look at her curvy body and sexy moves.
She is professionally and emotionally linked to the sleek, most-wanted criminal Alexander Pearce, who disappeared without a trace after robbing a mob boss named Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff).
Everybody is looking for Pearce, including Shaw, who wants his money back; the police, who also want the money and Elise, who hasn’t seen Pearce in long time.
Elise, however, periodically receives secret messages from Pearce that guide her every move. One day, she is told to take a train from Paris to Venice to distract the police before meeting Pearce.
Elise follows Pearce’s instructions and randomly sits next to an American named Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), a math teacher from Wisconsin on vacation to Venice to heal his broken heart.
With her charm and good looks, Elise easily drags an ordinary guy like Frank into a series of adventures full of intrigue and romance, putting him in the middle of a deadly game he has never played before.
Not knowing what exactly it’s all about, Frank goes through all the trials and escapes from gangsters as well as from Scotland Yard Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany).
Acheson has become obsessed with tracking down Pearce and believes that Elise will lead him team to his target.
Also on screen is Timothy Dalton, best-known for his portrayal of James Bond in The Living Daylights and License to Kill. Dalton has a small role as Chief Inspector Jones, the man in charge of leading the manhunt to find Pearce. While Acheson is driven to bring Pearce to justice, Jones is interested in Pearce’s money.
The opening of this movie, which shows a stiletto-heeled Jolie walking confidently through the hustle-bustle of Paris while shaking police surveillance, looks promising, but later scenes quickly lose steam.
It seems the filmmaker wants to make The Tourist into a thriller and comedy at the same time.
Unfortunately, he can’t pull it off. The action scenes are dull, while the humor falls flat. Only a few scenes can bring a smile to a viewer’s face.
Depp and Jolie are undeniably pretty (and talented) actors, but there’s an obvious lack of chemistry between the pair on screen and it affects the whole film.
Depp was not bad, even though his beard and messy hair made me wonder whether I have ever seen such a scruffy looking math teacher before.
Jolie struts down the streets of Paris like a catwalk model. There are far too many scenes where people are stunned by her pretty looks.
One bright spot was the film’s use of the beautiful scenery of Venice, which gave me ideas for an upcoming holiday.
Verdict: For die-hard Depp or Jolie fans only — otherwise just move on.
