Never Trust A Tourist

 

THE TOURIST

Directed by FLORIAN HENCKELL VON DONNERSMARCK.

Starring JOHNNY DEPP, PAUL BETTANY, TIMOTHY DALTON and ANGELINA JOLIE. 

Panned by critics, unloved by audiences and a huge loss at the box office for Depp and Jolie's winter action thriller but does it really deserve all the bad press!? That's quite a loaded question so lets simplify that shall we - did I like it? Yes, yes I did. At the heart of it, the Tourist is about an ambiguous woman who's loyalties are split between love and morality, a woman who is clutching at the final straws of a lover who had to abandon her when a robbery went wrong.

On paper the plot for the film is very promising and the trailer confirms that promise creating a dark, sensual crime thriller set against a beautiful Venetian back drop with plenty of action, romance and dark humour. Except the actual reality is disappointing as the execution is poor and had it not been for Depp and Jolie, this film never would of made it to release. The final product isn't entirely bad but it just isn't what it said on the tin. It's more of an edgy chick flick than french style thriller.

The final pay off does leave you feeling somewhat cheated, the character you thought you knew isn't who you thought you were and while in an unworldly sense of logic seems plausible, doesn't seem possible due to the face to face time the audience shared with the character - at one point we were almost in the characters head and the twist almost makes the earlier scenes completely pointless. It does somehow feel as though the producers made a last minute change to reunite the couple and in doing so, jeopardises everything that had happened so far.

But there is beauty in the beast. The visuals are stunning, the shots were perfect and everything seemed so pristine. Whether it was the actors, the European landscapes or the lavish architecture - there was eye candy everywhere! The script at times was good with witty charming dialogue, full throttle Bond style chase sequences and intimate romantic moments but overall seemed to suffer a bit of an identity crisis. The genre also seemed to switch from scene to scene and had it been better established, the tale may have received better feedback. There were moments of comedy which were quickly lost once the tone became more action thriller with Depp's character Frank running for his life. But it's the performances by the key three players that really do save the day.

Without Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie or Paul Bettany, the film wouldn't be worth watching. With rumours that Tom Cruise was originally in the main role alongside Charlize Theron, I'm kind of glad Depp and Jolie got on board as Cruise never could of pulled off the role as well as Depp. Depp was charming as the bumbling old romantic Frank Tupelo and Angelina Jolie puts in a stellar performance as the shady seductress Elise Clifton-Ward while Paul Bettany also does well as determined inspector John Acheson.

However despite it's bad points, the Tourist isn't an awful film. If you go in with realistic expectations, if you just want to sit and enjoy a good flick, then this film can deliver. Just don't expect a perfect action thriller as advertised - it certainly isn't that!