Film Review with Robert Mann – The Tourist

12th December 2010

The Tourist ****

A remake of 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer – which was released by Studio Canal, the same company responsible for this film – The Tourist is a film with a production history that is almost as complicated as any thriller, having gone through numerous directors and lead actors before pre-production ever managed to get underway.
Originally Lasse Hallström was set to direct with Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron in the starring roles but after Hallström left due to creative differences a long journey began for this film to actually get made. Bharat Nalluri, best known for British TV shows such as Spooks, Hustle and Life on Mars and 2008 film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, signed on to direct at this point but also left the project after more difficulties arose, subsequently replaced by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director of the highly acclaimed 2006 German film The Lives of Others. At this point Angelina Jolie also signed on to play the leading female role originally filled by Theron and shortly after Sam Worthington joined the cast after Cruise dropped out of the film. However, more creative differences resulted in both Donnersmarck and Worthington departing the project. After this many directors were rumoured to be in the running to take over the job of directing, among them Alfonso Cuaron, but eventually Donnersmarck returned to the helm with Johnny Depp taking on the role that had originally been filled by Cruise. Following all this, along with rewrites of British writer Julian Fellowes’ (best known lately for period TV drama Downton Abbey) original screenplay by Valkyrie and The Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck himself, the film finally entered production and has now reached at cinemas at long last in the form of a film that almost comes across like a more sophisticated version of this year’s Knight and Day (which interestingly stars Tom Cruise, the star originally intended to lead this film) with the male and female roles reversed. Amazingly, given that they have made 70 movies between them, they own homes within an hour of each other in the south of France and they both live with actors, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie had never even prior to making this film and as this is their first time working together you might expect something quite special. But does The Tourist take you on a trip that you will remember for a long time or does the promise of its stellar leading couple prove too much for director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck to live up to?

Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp) is an American maths teacher travelling by train as a tourist on the way to Italy. On his travels he encounters a beautiful woman named Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) and a connection instantly forms between the two of them. Their meeting, however, is no accident. Elise’s former lover, Alexander Pierce (Rufus Sewell?) is being pursued by both Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff), a powerful gangster who he embezzled $2.3 billion from, and John Acheson (Paul Bettany), a Scotland Yard Inspector who, ignoring the orders of his superior, Chief Inspector Jones (Timothy Dalton), is determined to catch Pierce at any cost for his crime of failing to pay £774 million in back taxes. And Elise has deliberately crossed Frank’s path to throw them off the scent. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Venice, Frank pursues a potential romance but soon the clueless and lovesick everyday man finds himself in the middle of something so much bigger than he has ever dreamed of as he is hunted by two different sides and discovers that there is far more to both Elise and himself than first meets the eye.

Given that The Tourist stars two of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood you might well that you’re going to get a Hollywood movie. You would be very mistaken. The presence of director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck gives a better indication of what to expect – this is a very European movie, by which I mean that it is far more stylish and sophisticated than the typical action thriller coming out of America. Beyond the fact that the film is set against the backdrop of beautiful European settings, mostly Venice, the film generally has a very European look and feel, coming across like an old fashioned sort of crime caper with a fresh twist, embracing simple but elegant cinematography and editing techniques, low key but nevertheless exciting action sequences – this is not an action movie but a thriller – effective use of music to convey emotions, moods and feelings and a very subtle, dialogue based style of humour. This is a very beautiful film to look at, its lovely settings being captured wonderfully on the screen. As a train speeds through the European countryside, expert use of colour captures the bright greens of the fields vibrantly and beautifully while beautiful sweeping shots of Venice portray a sense of elegance and lavishness. While not an action movie the film manages to deliver several exciting sequences as well but it is the dialogue that really carries the film, this being a very talky film. Here, most of the action is conveyed through words and conversations and superbly written dialogue ensures that the film never fails to engage us. The dialogue comes across as both smart and witty, particularly in the interactions between the two protagonists, whose first meeting on the train is very romantic, sweet and tender and, thanks to great performances from both leads, portrays a pure and unmistakable chemistry between the two. The use of music and other sound also adds to this chemistry as well as the various other feelings that the film is trying to portray, the musical score shifting between fast and kinetic and slow and enchanting as the film’s tone shifts from one scene to the next, something that really emphasises and complements what is taking place on the screen. As well as being smart the dialogue also proves very funny, particularly in the very European way it pokes fun at American tourists. This is probably not a film that will make your side splits or anything but its sophisticated sense of humour is certainly one that will keep you very amused and in a way that won’t make you feel guilty for doing so. This is a very light-hearted affair, a film that doesn’t really have all that much depth, something that is reflected and even made light of in the story which boasts a rather complex plot with several twists and turns, albeit with a final plot twist that you may guess quite early in the film – I certainly did, although the clever execution of the plot along with the generally fun nature of the film means that, rather than seeming like a cop out, the ending actually proves rather satisfying nonetheless. Presumably, the writers realised that there was no way to really avoid people guessing the outcome so they just went with it and made it work for them, throwing in just enough diversions to thrown us off the scent before revealing the truth that, to some, will be obvious from the very start. The not to be taken too seriously style of the film makes the twist work even when it is seen coming a mile off and it is important to note that this is a film as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Much of the reason the journey proves so enjoyable of course is not down to those people working behind the camera but those in front of it. Here, Johnny Depp portrays a normal everyday type of character for the first time since 2004’s Secret Window and he reminds us that, while we have grown to live his portrayals of mad characters, he can also play sane and down to earth superbly as well. Both looking and acting suitably clueless in his role here he not only makes the almost farcical character of Frank completely believable but also immensely likable and entertaining as well. Looking and acting classy and ravishing, Angelina Jolie also doesn’t disappoint, delivering a flawless British accent and also proving to be likable and engaging in her performance. The chemistry that Depp and Jolie share on screen is faultless, being quiet and subtle but, in the way they stare into each other’s eyes, seeming completely authentic. It is Depp and Jolie who carry the film but the rest of the cast also prove strong, whether it is Steven Berkoff as a sadistic and completely realistic bad guy – the realism here providing something of a contrast to the light-hearted nature that surrounds the relationship between Frank and Elise – or Paul Bettany as the agent determined to catch Pierce at any cost. Stylish, sophisticated and cleverly executed, The Tourist may not quite have the depth you would expect given the more serious tone of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s previous film but it is certainly a very fun film and one that is aimed at older moviegoers with no compromises being made for the younger generations. This is a film that will take you on a very enjoyable trip.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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