Elise (Angelina Jolie) lives in Paris, where she has been "watched" for over a year. Scotland Yard, you see, under the direction of Inspectors Acheson (Paul Bettany) and Jones (Timothy Dalton), want money owed to the British government, by Elise's boyfriend, Alexander. They are convinced that eventually he will return to his beautiful flame. One day, it appears they are correct. At a cafe, Elise receives a note, which she promptly burns, leaving it on a plate while she heads to the train station. Amazingly, from the charred fragments, the Yard, using advanced tech, reconstructs the message. They all hop a train to Lyon and, from there, to Venice. But, Elise, sensing her trackers, makes friends with an American math teacher, Frank (Johnny Depp), who is likewise on a journey to Venice. Because they have no photo of Alexander, only a general description, the Yard assumes this is their man. Naturally, Frank is taken by Elise's stunning appearance and seductive manner and agrees to spend the night with her at a posh hotel. In the morning, she is gone. But, now the Yard is after Frank and they are not the only ones in pursuit. The British mobster, Shaw, who Alexander also robbed, in his role as a personal banker, is out to eliminate him, too. With his Russian thugs as companions, will Shaw get to Frank first or will the Yard? Or will Elise suddenly return to rescue Frank? This is a very entertaining little bit of cinema, somewhat similar to such movies as To Catch a Thief. First, the stars are dynamic, with Jolie and Depp true "stars" who command attention. Depp looks a bit scruffy, as his character is to be played as a non-descript Yankee, and that's a minor shame, given his handsome face. Jolie, however, looks sensational. Bettany, Dalton and the others do fine work as well. The sets are exotic, and the costumes are gorgeous, also. It's true, the story unfolds rather slowly and the direction is sometimes pedestrian. A better edit and camera work would have made a big difference in the overall presentation. But, still, if you are the type who adores a film which takes you away from mundane daily life, you will not be disappointed in this one. No, its not a tour de force but The Tourist is great escapist entertainment.
Review of The Tourist
The Tourist
(I) (2010)
A tour de force , is The Tourist? Well, no, but if you seek to be entertained, see it
12 January 2011