"THE TOURIST" — ★★ ½ — Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Rufus Sewell; PG-13 (stong profanity and violence); in general release
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are two of the most talented performers working in Hollywood today. With films like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "A Mighty Heart," it's easy to understand why anyone would think putting these two actors in a movie would guarantee success.
"Forget the script," a producer might lament, "how could a movie with Jolie and Depp go wrong?"
Well, to said producer's credit, "The Tourist" makes an excellent case for such a statement. The film ends up bleeding charm and has some occasionally well-timed gags, so most audience members will be content to overlook the generic and uninspired script. No matter how hard director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck tried to make a forgettable movie, he just couldn't suppress his cast's charisma.
"The Tourist" opens strong, introducing us to the lovely Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie) and the powerful organizations watching her every move. The pace is quick as secret police race around the city, monitoring Elise and arresting anyone she makes intentional contact with.
Before long, we understand that Elise is just a pawn in a far more elaborate quest to locate her elusive beau, Alexander Pierce, a man who's stolen billions of dollars from the government and a powerful crime organization. With Elise's help, her mysterious lover hatches a plan to distract his accusers and meet up once again with the love of his life.
Since no one has seen or heard from Alexander, with the exception of Elise, everyone she speaks to becomes a possible match for him, including the especially handsome tourist Jack Tupelo (Johnny Depp), an unsuspecting math teacher who happens to resemble her criminal boyfriend.
Think I've given too much away? Don't be upset. "The Tourist" makes very little effort to keep its cards close to the chest, which brings up one of many problems audience members will have to overlook — you just don't care about the secrets the movie tries to keep.
Instead of playing out like a traditional thriller or crime mystery, "The Tourist" works more like a question-and-answer session. A character might ask, "Who's that?" To which another character gives all the details one might ever want to know about the character in question. If by chance the question isn't answered, the film only allows itself a scene or two before it wraps up any loose ends.
There are a few "big reveals" toward the end of the movie, but with the exception of the final twist, you'll probably ask yourself why they kept it from you in the first place. It's kind of like when your friend says to you, "I have an uncle who lives in Wisconsin." Oh.
Without any serious questions, there's actually very little tension, but what "The Tourist" lacks in mystery, it absolutely makes up for in eye candy. Long shots of Paris are the stuff travel agents dream of, and combined with the beautiful cast, your brain will probably be happy to stay in cruise control.
Some of the ideas throughout are actually quite clever, including the obligatory surprise ending, but the production feels rushed. There were some distractingly rough edits, and the romance between Jack and Elise wasn't earned at all.
With any other cast, "The Tourist" probably would have been headed straight to DVD. Thanks to Jolie and Depp, however, the film is worth matinee prices and possibly even a night away from holiday shopping.
"The Tourist" is rated PG-13 for some brief strong profanity and violence; running time: 103 minutes.