Film Review: THE TOURIST (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Crime/Thriller/Romance
UK Release date: 10^th December 2010

Watched on Sky+ Monday 14^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Although this was never going to be a film that would win any great praise from the great and the good (professional film critics to you and me), I found it still had some good points. I remember it getting a pretty luke-warm reception when it came out and so I was never tempted to part with my cash at the box-office. So it was a TV viewing for me, which was adequate enough for a film that suffers slightly from ‘style over substance’. More of my thoughts after this brief summary.

Interpol are watching the beautiful Elise Clifton-Ward in Paris. She is being watched because of her association with one Alexander Pearce who is wanted in several countries. Elise receives a note from Alexander telling her to board a train to Venice and find a man of his height and build so the police would follow him when they got off. She chooses an American tourist, a mathematics teacher called Frank Tupelo. They get talking and have dinner together and when it comes time to leave the police already have his picture… Also hot on Alexander’s tail is a gangster he stole money from, Reginald Shaw, and he’s not one to be trifled with… I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be distributing my picture across Europe.

It’s all beautifully shot, but with locations in both Paris and Venice you can hardly fail to get some great shots though. The performances were all pretty good without anyone particularly standing out; Johnny Depp was pretty good as Frank Tupelo, as was Angelina Jolie as Elsie Clifton-Ward. Paul Bettany as Inspector John Acheson and Timothy Dalton as Chief Inspector Jones also did a decent job. Finally, Steven Berkoff was suitably intimidating as Reginald Shaw.

There was a bit more humour than I was expecting with the best one-liner being given to Timothy Dalton at the end (sorry I can’t put it in the review it might give too much away). Of course there also has to be a little slapstick from Johnny Depp; a chase sequence that wouldn’t have been out of place had he been wearing a pirate uniform springs to mind. I guess where the film falls down though is a rather weak plot that doesn’t really tax the little grey cells too much. I must admit I expected more from a stylish thriller of this type. As far as the music goes, well there’s not really much to talk about until the closing credits where they use a song by, the rather excellent, Muse. Over all though, a little too much style over substance… Ok for a TV viewing but I wouldn’t spend any cash on the DVD or Blu-Ray.

My score: 6.6/10

IMDb Score: 5.9/10 (based on 57,046 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1243957/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Frank Tupelo: My name's Frank.
Elise: That's a terrible name.
Frank Tupelo: [shrugs] It's the only one I've got.
Elise: Perhaps we can find you a new one.

Frank Tupelo: Why is everyone trying to kill me?

Hotel Waiter Guido: Bongiorno!
Frank Tupelo: Bon Jovi!

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thetourist/
Trailer: