In "The Tourist," Angelina Jolie stars as Elisa, a woman who has been assigned to hide the identity of her lover Alexander Pierce from the FBI and the mob. Elisa is told in a letter by Pierce that she is to board the 8:22 train to Venice and find someone who she can use to pose as him. On the train ride to Venice, Elise eyes a random American tourist named Frank (Johnny Depp), who is traveling alone as a way to forget about the death of his wife. This is where the plot thickens as Elise decides to use Frank as the perfect impostor for Pierce, who has no clue to what he is about to get himself into.
The storyline for "The Tourist" was actually based on a previous film called "Anthony Zimmer," which I never saw nor heard about before this past week. I originally thought "The Tourist" was an original film but it was in fact, a remake. I found that "The Tourist" lacked suspense and I found the story to be almost too simplistic and obvious. My fiancée Ashley, also known as my movie partner in crime, didn't find the film as obvious as I did but actually found the film lacking action. I would have to agree with her there as well. There just wasn't enough action for a film of this caliber. Also, some scenes went on too long where they could have been better if they were cut in half. On that same page, I also have to point out that the film itself was very slow moving and could have been cut down to an hour and a half to make the film flow better.
I won't deny it for a hot minute that I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp and I have seen every film the man has put out over the past 12 years or so. I think Depp is one of the biggest names in the Hollywood along with one of the most talented actors of this generation. Depp seems to be able to play a large array of roles from "Donnie Brasco" to The Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland." It seems Depp can conquer all roles no matter how odd or straight laced they are. With that being said, Depp is comical in "The Tourist" and he uses his charm on the audience to really make him the most enjoyable thing about the film. The one thing Depp can't do however, is find chemistry with Angelina Jolie. Their relationship in "The Tourist" was probably one of the weakest links in the film. For some reason neither Depp or Jolie seemed to connect with one another. Maybe the idea of putting two of the most beautiful people together in one film should rely more on chemistry than $$$. I don't really know why Depp and Jolie lacked chemistry could it be because of the director? The story? Or maybe it was just simply the two actors didn't really feel that deep connection with one another on the set. I don't know why per say but the chemistry just wasn't there.
As for Jolie, she plays the typical role that she has played before in multiple films. Many will argue she adds little twists to her characters so they aren't 100% the same and I will agree with that statement. However, Jolie plays the same sexy woman of mystery who everyone is trying to kill in this film . At times, Jolie almost looked bored and uninterested in the film. She also lacked facial expressions, which I found odd. As I mentioned above, her relationship with Depp wasn't believable nor did the two have chemistry. As I said about Depp, I don't know if the characters she played lacked that special something because the script lacked or if it was just the bond Depp and Jolie had with one another. I just couldn't get over the fact that these two A-listers lacked that much on screen.
It may seem that I am really attacking "The Tourist" but the truth is I liked it but was just expecting a lot more from it. It was one of those films which, when I heard about it, I was extremely excited to see it. What I got was a film that didn't live up to the hype I created for it nor that most people had created for it. It's not a bad movie at all it's just incredibly average, which is the ultimate problem with "The Tourist." Everything from the story, the direction, and even the acting, is just average. Nothing really blows you away and that's why so many people are leaving this film disappointed. It's not that its horrible or hell even a bad film, it's just a disappointment, plain and simple.
Depp is hands down the best part of the film and without his involvement even though he lacks chemistry with Jolie, the film would probably be really really bad. His charm, subtle comedic gestures, and just the oddness of his character really saved the film from being below average. I would recommend the film but probably more as a matinée or DVD rental instead of a night showing at the local multiplex. It's a shame with the amount of talent involved the film that it couldn't breach out of average territory.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "The Tourist" is a 6 out of 10. A decent film for Depp fans but Jolie and die-hard Depp fans will surely be slightly disappointed.
The storyline for "The Tourist" was actually based on a previous film called "Anthony Zimmer," which I never saw nor heard about before this past week. I originally thought "The Tourist" was an original film but it was in fact, a remake. I found that "The Tourist" lacked suspense and I found the story to be almost too simplistic and obvious. My fiancée Ashley, also known as my movie partner in crime, didn't find the film as obvious as I did but actually found the film lacking action. I would have to agree with her there as well. There just wasn't enough action for a film of this caliber. Also, some scenes went on too long where they could have been better if they were cut in half. On that same page, I also have to point out that the film itself was very slow moving and could have been cut down to an hour and a half to make the film flow better.
I won't deny it for a hot minute that I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp and I have seen every film the man has put out over the past 12 years or so. I think Depp is one of the biggest names in the Hollywood along with one of the most talented actors of this generation. Depp seems to be able to play a large array of roles from "Donnie Brasco" to The Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland." It seems Depp can conquer all roles no matter how odd or straight laced they are. With that being said, Depp is comical in "The Tourist" and he uses his charm on the audience to really make him the most enjoyable thing about the film. The one thing Depp can't do however, is find chemistry with Angelina Jolie. Their relationship in "The Tourist" was probably one of the weakest links in the film. For some reason neither Depp or Jolie seemed to connect with one another. Maybe the idea of putting two of the most beautiful people together in one film should rely more on chemistry than $$$. I don't really know why Depp and Jolie lacked chemistry could it be because of the director? The story? Or maybe it was just simply the two actors didn't really feel that deep connection with one another on the set. I don't know why per say but the chemistry just wasn't there.
As for Jolie, she plays the typical role that she has played before in multiple films. Many will argue she adds little twists to her characters so they aren't 100% the same and I will agree with that statement. However, Jolie plays the same sexy woman of mystery who everyone is trying to kill in this film . At times, Jolie almost looked bored and uninterested in the film. She also lacked facial expressions, which I found odd. As I mentioned above, her relationship with Depp wasn't believable nor did the two have chemistry. As I said about Depp, I don't know if the characters she played lacked that special something because the script lacked or if it was just the bond Depp and Jolie had with one another. I just couldn't get over the fact that these two A-listers lacked that much on screen.
It may seem that I am really attacking "The Tourist" but the truth is I liked it but was just expecting a lot more from it. It was one of those films which, when I heard about it, I was extremely excited to see it. What I got was a film that didn't live up to the hype I created for it nor that most people had created for it. It's not a bad movie at all it's just incredibly average, which is the ultimate problem with "The Tourist." Everything from the story, the direction, and even the acting, is just average. Nothing really blows you away and that's why so many people are leaving this film disappointed. It's not that its horrible or hell even a bad film, it's just a disappointment, plain and simple.
Depp is hands down the best part of the film and without his involvement even though he lacks chemistry with Jolie, the film would probably be really really bad. His charm, subtle comedic gestures, and just the oddness of his character really saved the film from being below average. I would recommend the film but probably more as a matinée or DVD rental instead of a night showing at the local multiplex. It's a shame with the amount of talent involved the film that it couldn't breach out of average territory.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "The Tourist" is a 6 out of 10. A decent film for Depp fans but Jolie and die-hard Depp fans will surely be slightly disappointed.