The Tourist

Tourist Brings Back Mystery Films Of The Past
The Tourist, PG-13, ****, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Columbia Pictures, Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Length: 104 minutes.

This film is a refreshing change from the usual scenario of all action with basically the same old story. It begins with a group of British law enforcers shadowing Elsie (Angelina Jolie) in Paris, France. The mystery and suspense from the very beginning of the film catches the intelligent viewer’s attention.
It reminded me of the old films with Cary Grant and the leading ladies who worked with him. The trailer for this film did not give very much away. Only that it contained chases and possibly some romance.
The previews reminded me of what a college professor told us in class about how long a research paper should to be. He said, “Like a woman’s dress, long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to make it interesting.”
The film was a pleasant surprise to me. Elise remains a mystery until the final few minutes of the film. She is in love with Alexander Pierce. He is also a mystery man. Pierce stole several million dollars from a Mafia boss. Of course, the mafia boss is not a happy killer.
So Elise is being chased by the British, and the Mafia. It seems that Pierce is wanted for tax evasion and stealing money from the Mafia. He has two entities chasing him.
Elise receives a note to board a train to Venice, Italy. In the note she is directed to find someone who is about the same size as Pierce. Hopefully, this will throw everyone off balance, and the two of them can meet without being seen.
She sits down by Frank (Johnny Depp) who is a math teacher from Wisconsin. He is a tourist traveling in Europe.
The plan is to deceive everyone following Elsie. Depp plays his part a little over the top, but Jolie seems to stay on target with her character. Maybe Deep is just trying to show his concept of what a math teacher might be like. In that role he is very convincing.
The film does not have a great deal of violence, but it does use it appropriately and at the right times. The viewer sees some beautiful scenery in Paris and Venice. The audience travels down the Grand Canals in Venice with buildings on both sides and a few Gondolas. However, most of the traveling on the Grand Canals is in motor boats.
“The Tourist” makes the grade as a thriller and suspense filled film. It is an entertaining film without having too much over the top chases and language. This mystery makes the grade for this viewer. The audience enjoys places in Venice for the rich and famous along with rooms overlooking the Grand Canals.
A reference is made to the Roman god Janus. He is depicted as having two heads facing in opposite directions. He is looking at the future and the past at the same time. Watch for certain events in the film as it reveals a few mystery clues to the audience.
I do not read other reviews until I have sent my critique to the newspapers and websites. However, I could not help but observe a few ratings in the papers and websites. It appeared by the glimpse I observed on a couple of movie ratings that I may be in the minority about enjoying this film and giving it a high score. Well, what else is new?
I enjoyed the film, and I recommend it. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.” Go see a story full of suspense and mystery with a few laughs and some action.