15 January 2011

Movie Review: The Tourist

Photo courtesy of Google Images


The Tourist is a film that focuses on Frank Tupelo and Elise Clifton-Ward played by Hollywood's most wanted stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Elise is the wife of Alexander Pearce, a man wanted in fourteen countries because of tax evasion. He went into hiding and she hasn't seen him for a couple of years and instead, he writes her little letters. On one of his notes, his instructions to her were simple: she is to board a train, pick a man of his height and built and lead the police to believe that it is him. Frank is the man that she picks. He is obviously fascinated by her, as all other men were -- she always left them tongue-tied and dumbfounded, fiddling with their words just from her presence. They share a conversation over dinner, but it doesn't stop there. Elise invites Frank over to her hotel, kisses him so that the police would take pictures, and makes him sleep on the couch. True enough, Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany) and Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff), the gangster Pearce owes money to, are after Tupelo.

Frank wakes up to breakfast that Elise had ordered for him before he left, and this is where the chain of action begins -- two men run after him, making him jump into a sea of market stalls, pushing a local police officer into the water. He is then taken into jail while his facts are checked, but the chief officer sells him to Shaw's men. Of course, Elise comes to the rescue. They spend a night on the boat and she drives him to the airport as the sun comes up. As she drives away on the speedboat, he whispers "...but I'm in love with you" into thin air. Just as expected, he doesn't leave and instead attends the ball Elise is summoned to -- the ball where she's supposedly meeting Pearce. This is the part where I stop telling you the story and let you guys find out on your own instead :-)

Honestly, I think it's all about the hype. I've wanted to watch this movie for so long because duh, it's Jolie and Depp. The story line was bravo, but I'd have to say it couldn't be more disappointing. I would've loved for the film to have more action scenes -- that's the Jolie thing to do as in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wanted and Salt. And I would've loved Depp to have been more of an eye-candy because honestly, if I were THE Elise Clifton-Ward, I wouldn't have chosen the plain and heavy-looking Frank Tupelo as my decoy. Although Depp's charm and Jolie's feminine strength was captured in the film, I would say it wasn't enough. Yes, the movie had my attention at all times, but when the credits started to roll out, I couldn't help but think that the film was a waste. Jolie and Depp could've done better roles as a couple than this movie had to offer. On the brighter side, the things I loved about this film are: the surprising twist at the end, that it was shot in Venice, and that duh, it's Jolie and Depp (again). Other than that, the story will leave you with nothing but a good feeling because it was a happy ending -- but you probably predicted that anyway.

I would love for you guys to check it out for yourselves because it's a good watch. The scenery is nothing short of beautiful and breathtaking and the story line will have you wanting for more :-)

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