The lovely Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) is being watched by the police. They follow her every move and she seems quite aware of the fact, playing a game of cat and mouse with them. The Interpol stakeout team, led by Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany), is having a difficult time keeping up with her, but she is simply a means to an end. Their true quarry is Alexander Pearce, her lover who stole several billion pounds from a fairly nasty British business man, Reginald Shaw, the type of man who surrounds himself dangerous with Russian goons. While Shaw wants his money back and is ardently searching for Pearce, so is Interpol, for their legal cut of the stolen money.
Communicating through secret letters, Pearce instructs Elise to elude her followers and board a particular train, finding someone approximately his height and build and make those watching her believe it's him, with an altered appearance, since he supposedly underwent lots of plastic surgery. The lucky winner happens to be traveling tourist Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), who is instantly smitten with the alluring and mysterious Elise. The pair share a lovely meal on the train and it seems that Elise's plan has worked, as Acheson's team is watching them closely. Once they arrive in Venice, the two part ways, only to reunite later on when Elise offers Frank a ride in her water taxi. Who is he to turn this knockout down? Well, color Frank surprised when they arrive at the magnificent Hotel Danieli and Elise checks them into a glorious suite as husband and wife. Frank is pretty confused at this point, but he's starting to get a handle on Elise and the fact that she loves this Pearce fellow, but doesn't enjoy being summoned by him, after he's been absent from her life for 2 years or so. Despite a lovely kiss on the balcony designed to make Elise's observers believe that Frank is Alexander, the only magic that Frank can expect to occur in the suite that evening is in his imagination as Elise offers him the couch.
Frank awakens the next morning to discover Elise has already left the suite, but he is soon rudely interrupted by some of Shaw's aforementioned goons, coming to retrieve him. Frank narrowly manages to escape by high-tailing it out of the window, running across the rooftops of Venice in his pajamas. And so begins Frank's adventure in Venice, having now been connected to Elise. Frank and Elise will share low speed boat chases in the canals of Venice, a dangerous gala ball where Elise goes to meet Alexander, only to have Frank move in for a dance, and much more as danger sets in when Interpol captures a terrified Frank and interrogates him, while Elise is apprehended by Shaw's men as they are attempting to force her to reveal Alexander's stash of cash. As Frank and Elise realize they are falling for one another, the noose tightens from all sides and it will take more than Frank's charming repartee to get them out of the pinch.
. The Tourist is a wonderful mash-up of romance, comedy, thrills and action, with a fantastically whimsical soundtrack reminiscent of the great Hitchcock films of yesteryear. The scenery of Venice is so lush and grand, and is the perfect setting for the film, whether it be in decadent hotel suites or racing along the blue-green waters of the canal, with the decaying but colorful buildings as a backdrop. Angelina perfectly plays the poised and collected Elise Ward and between her perfectly coiffed hair and classic wardrobe, she's never looked more lovely. Hell, her eyelashes are so crazy thick that they should have received their own billing as a co-star. Johnny Depp is adorable and charming as Frank Tupelo, who is at first charmingly unsure of himself, but transforms into Elise's hero. While I didn't sense an incredible chemistry between the pair, it definitely worked well enough for the film, just not enough to make Vanessa Paradis nervous. In fact, I was waiting for my TV to explode when they were on the screen at the same time, since I don't think my home theater could take that much high-def gorgeousness at once. Timothy Dalton (that other Bond guy) has a small role as Acheson's superior and he is an absolute delight. It's good to see him on screen again. Rufus Sewell (Pillars of the Earth) shows up from time to time as a mysterious Englishman and Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code) as the fanatical Acheson is perfect.
Special features were slim, but enjoyable. I always prefer quality over quantity and that's what you can expect. There's a featurette on the action sequences, one on the gala ball, one on the glamour of the film's sets and wardrobe, a short one on Venice itself and one where director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck discusses how he unwinds on the canal after a full day of shooting. He also does audio commentary, there's a short but fun outtake reel and finally, an alternate animated title sequence, which was great. I wish they had used it. As for the ever present debate of Blu-ray over DVD, for The Tourist, Blu-ray is the only way to go. The scenery is exquisite and the rich colors literally pop off of the screen. Angelina's wardrobe is all soft neutrals and blacks, with red, red lips and the colors that dance across the Venetian skyline are something to behold in high def. Chase scenes and shoot-outs sound oh-so-perfect in surround sound, plus a handful of the special features are Blu-ray exclusive.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Tourist and it's one that I'd watch several times over, so I'd probably recommend it for purchase over a rental. It has a great ending, but getting there is half the fun. Highly recommended.
