The Tourist (DVD)

Angelina Jolie stars as Elise, an alluring and mysterious woman whose every move is being watched by Interpol. Knowing that, she boards a train for Venice and picks up an unsuspecting tourist (Johnny Depp) who quickly falls in love, is arrested, and has to run for his life.

I liked the beginning of this movie, thanks to Johnny Depp's' sweet portrayal of a mousey math teacher who naively speaks Spanish to Italians and can't believe his luck in meeting the glamorous and desirable Elise. Jolie seems less an actress than a model, posing with pouty lips and strutting around in designer clothes. She exhibits little emotion and is completely unconvincing as a Brit. The photography of Venice is so lovely, though, that it almost makes up for Angelina's miscasting. The movie starts off as a clever and fast-paced spy story but becomes muddled and even a bit boring later on; the twist-ending didn't seem to fit.

All in all, this is a pretty but silly movie full of plot holes that doesn't seem to know if it's a comedy, romance, or thriller.

The Tourist(released Dec/10)stars,among others,Angelina Jolie as Elise Clifton-Ward,Johnny Depp as Frank Tupelo,Paul Bettany as Insp.John Acheson,Timothy Dalton as Chief Insp. Jones,Steven Berkoff as Reginald Shaw and others.I found this to be a very,very pleasant and enjoyable film to watch.The intrigue,the mystery,the plot twists and turns and the solid acting,all help propel this little number along.
The story finds Depp as the titled "Tourist".However,the movie starts out as the police in Paris,assisted by Scotland Yard in London,are busy following Jolie.Jolie is an ex Yard agent who they hadn't seen for a long time and who has been connected with one Alexander Pearce.Pearce it seems stole mega millions from a very nasty European mob boss,and not only are the police after him(thru Jolie),but the boss wants his bucks back pronto.At a cafe where Jolie sits a note is delivered to her via courier(from Pearce)and it tells her to board a train and head to Venice.Also it says to find and chat up another man on the train who has roughly the same build as him,so the police suspect that man is actually him.
The man Jolie chats up is our own Johnny Depp,a math teacher from Wisconsin.Depp of course becomes intrigued by this lovely enchantress sitting across from him.Jolie also feels an attraction but hides her feelings.In Venice she and Depp end up sharing a luxurious hotel suite there;Jolie sleeping in her own room,Depp on the couch.The next morning Jolie has left and is awoken by a servant bringing breakfast.When the servant leaves two thugs from the mob bosses`gang show up and Depp takes off across some rooftops to elude the men.He ends up being arrested.The policeman who interrogates him ,during the night,takes him out and delivers him into the hands of the mob boss,for a tidy payment.Jolie comes to the rescue and they both end up out in the Venetian harbour in a boat.Next morning Jolie delivers Depp to the airport and tells him to leave.
With Depp now gone,Jolie goes back to Scotland Yard and agrees to help her superiors in Pearce`s capture.She is wired and she attends a ball that night,as per the instructions of Pearce,through notes.Once there she is given another note by a man who rushes away.She follows him calling Pearce`s name.Who should suddenly appear,but Depp.They dance for a short time until she breaks off and leaves.The police,who are there en masse,take Depp into custody.They sequester Depp in the surveillance van,while Jolie is now inside a room,looking for a safe she was instructed to go to.In barges the mob boss with his men,who forces Jolie to tell him where the safe is.All this time police snipers on a nearby roof have had their guns trained on all of the baddies in the room,but the Yard cop in charge keeps delaying any firing;hoping for the appearance of the elusive Pearce.Jolie tries once to enter the safe code but fails and is given one more chance.Depp`s admonitions to the cops to jump into action to save Jole have fallen on deaf ears.Before the cops realize it,Depp has escaped the van,gone and entered the room from its balcony and now is inside confronting the boss,and pretending he is Pearce.As things look their worst the cop in charge`s boss comes in and orders the snipers to fire,which they do,taking down everyone but Depp and Jolie.As the two stand there Depp asks her how she now feels about him and this Pearce fellow.She replies she loves them both.Depp replies he may have a solution to the problem.Depp enters the safe code and opens it,something he would never have known if he wasn`t..... .The police arrive and Depp and Jolie are gone.They blow the closed safe to find a cheque made out in the amount that Pearce had stolen.
The film winds down as Depp and Jolie ply across the Venice harbour on a sailboat.Jolie makes the comment about all the money he spent on his facial reconstruction,and that was the best he could do? Depp asks ``you don`t like it``? Jolie says it will have to do.
Not only is the acting quite solid in this film,but it is all ably boosted by the cinematography and the beautiful background music.In fact at some parts,I saw some visual touches of Hitchcock, and could almost picture Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in these same roles.This movie definitely has touches of cinema from a by gone day,and it is rare to see that nowadays.The movie`s tension/intrigue starts out from the get go and I found it rarely let up until the two are sailing into the sunset.That nice twist ending was also a bonus.
Technically speaking the film is in its w/s a/r of 2:35:1 and is clear and crisp.Extras include commentary,outtakes,an alternate animated opening and two featurettes.
All in all a nicely done film with elements of mystery and intrigue coupled with a light sexual tension between the two leading characters.It`s visual and audio touches really enhance the entire look and feel.Highly recommended.

I get my order in less than 3 days, Yahoo ! ! ! :-)
Well packed, wrapped and well protected.
I will enjoy again this movie with 2 of my favorites actors.