Skip to main content

The Tourist - Movie Review

The Tourist

U/A; Drama/Action/Thriller
Dir: Florian Henkel Von Donnersmarck
Release Date: 10 December 2010 (USA)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell, Christian De Sica, Bruno Wolkowitch, Julien Baumgartner, François Vincentelli
Movie: ***
The Tourist - Movie Review

The Tourist Movie About: Blame it on the hype. I suppose it is a bit churlish to say it but it must hold true when you can put Depp and Jolie in the same sentence and feel the burden of rising expectations and watch them crumble as soon as the two enter the same frame.

Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp) is the kind of tourist you wouldn't accord a second glance to in a place like Venice. Especially, if you're a woman like Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie).


He is so plain it's almost funny. Elise, on the other hand, gets all kinds of men tongue-tied and weak-kneed in her very presence. Why pick out Frank to get flirty with on a train to Venice, then?

Sab ek soche-samjhe plan ke mutaabik ho raha hai. To cut a long story short, Elise is the lover of Alexander Pearce, a man wanted by Scotland Yard for tax evasion to the tune of billions of pounds. A man, who has changed his face and the only person with a clue, is Elise.

Her instructions are simple: lead the cops trailing her every move on a wild goose chase by making them believe that the man she met on a train is Pearce. Frank is the man she picks for the deception.

The cat-and-mouse game continues to its logical or rather dil-logical conclusion.

WHAT'S HOT: It's like being a part of picture postcards. Paris and Venice are such wonderful characters. Wait a minute, they're not characters?

WHAT'S NOT: Actually, Depp and Jolie are. He's known for his eccentric over-the-top performances while she's eye candy on a good day. This movie? Definitely not a good day. Depp makes up for the absence of his trademark charm with a deadpan act, quite unlike anything you've seen since his scissors-for-hands days. Jolie looks a shadow of her former self.

Motherhood seems to have drained the sexiness out of her. Either that or she must think this is a Tim Burton movie. It takes guts to put two of the highest paid actors together, cast them opposite each other for the first time and f**k it up.

We get that this film is a remake of a French film (explains the abundance of pregnant pauses). We get that a fish out of water is supposed to be a novelty. What we don't get is how you can shove an absurdly pedestrian plot down our throats and expect us to be good children and gulp it down.

WHAT TO DO: Oh, I don't know, take a walk. The Tourist seems like an unlikely destination, anyway.
Labels:

Comments

Nadia said…
I like this movie, and thanks for the review
December 31, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rani Mukherjee's sexy in her bikini

Bollywood Actress Rani Mukherjee's sexy in her bikini In Dil Bole Hadippa Believe it or not, but the whole ‘bikini top ‘n’ skimpy shorts’ avatar in short — flaunting Rani Mukerji’s hot new bod wasn’t her idea. Not even the producer or director had anything to do with it. After she realised how much she had toned up (to play a male cricketer in Dil Bole Hadippa!), Rani just happened to discuss this idea with her designer friend Manish Malhotra. And from there on it was Manish’s game plan, after all, he’s transformed many a Bollywood girl in to glam queens. He suggested that it would be a pity to waste such a well-toned body by not showing it off. That’s how the idea of a special song was born. And is she looking hot? Talk about her ‘shapely’ success, and Rani says, “Believe me, I didn’t starve at all. I love my food, especially rice and sweets. There was no way I was giving up all that. So, I just worked out harder and was occasionally allowed my ‘cheat’ meals of rice, sweets, etc. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shahid Kapoor: I'm waiting for someone special

Bollywood’s man with lightening in his feet, Shahid Kapoor seems pretty chilled out and unfazed by controversies in real life. In town to shoot for an untitled film opposite Anushka Sharma, Shahid seems very comfortable in his skin. While he’s reluctant to discuss about his private life or his rumoured amours with Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan and Sania Mirza, the teen heartthrob says he’s “learnt to take all the rumours with a pinch of salt” and claims he’s just a “regular” young guy after pack-up. Excerpts from an exclusive interview: Kaminey and Dil Bole Hadippa... are set to hit the screens. Yeah. Their release dates are pretty close to each other. Kaminey will hit the screens this month, while Dil Bole Hadippa is slated for a September release. Both are very different films and I’m excited as well as a little nervous. The levels of expectations increase after your previous films have done well at the BO. Jab We Met was a turning point in my career. After Vivaah, I sat home for six ...
4 comments
Read more

Aamir Khan: I love Sachin Tendulkar's intensity

What is amazing about Sachin Tendulkar is that for 20 years he has been able to maintain a level. There has been no dip in his abilities, his application or his passion for the game. I would say very few people could last this long. I've played cricket and believe me, you can't get out of bed for one week after one gruelling match. I saw him for the first time in 1988 when I was shooting at the Brabourne Stadium and he wasn't playing for the Indian team yet. The team was practising at the nets and I was chatting with Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar and a few others. At a distance I could see this kid batting. I was surprised to see that he was middling the ball; he looked so small, and so young. I was zapped. I wondered who this little boy was, who was being allowed to practise at the nets with the Indian cricket team. So I asked Kapil and Vengsarkar, “Who's he? How come I don't know?” They told me he was a new guy called Sachin Tendulkar, who was being seriously consi...
Post a Comment
Read more