The Tourist

While watching Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp work their charming ways through the streets of Venice in "The Tourist" I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that this film was a nod to the past. This movie actually felt like it could have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Grace Kelly because it had that look, that feel, and it even had that kind of story line. You could imagine Cary Grant sitting in the cell with the crazy prisoner and Grace Kelly piloting the getaway boat after rescuing Cary from impending doom. If director Florian Henckle von Donnersmarck did this on purpose then for a fledgling filmmaker directing just his second full length feature film, he is a very talented man.

The story centers around a man you never meet named Alexander Pearce who you come to realize has stolen an ungodly amount of money from a ruthless gangster. Remember Victor Maitland from "Beverly Hills Cop"? Yes, Steven Berkoff is still acting and is still as intimidating on screen as he ever was playing Reginald Shaw, the gangster that will stop at nothing to get his money back from his once personal banker Pearce. Shaw however isn't the only one after Pearce, Interpol's Financial Crimes Unit is also hot on his tail and heading up this motely crew is Inspector John Acheson played by Paul Bettany. He has his keystone cops trailing Elise Clifton-Ward played by the incomparably beautiful Angelina Jolie in the hopes that she will lead them to Alexender. The man she is hopelessly in love with. Sounds like Grace, right?

To throw everyone off the scent Elise connects with tourist Frank Tupelo played by Depp on a train to Venice. A math professor from Wisconsin who is in Europe to get over the loss of his deceased wife Depp at first appears to be miscast. He looks uncomfortable and seems like he's more at home playing Captain Jack Sparrow then he is playing the straight and narrow Frank. Sitting on the train, minding his own business and reading his spy novel he encounters Elise and that's when things start to really cook. Sounds like something Cary could have pulled off perfectly.

Elise, under the surveillance of both the good guys and the bad guys gets Frank who everyone now thinks is Pearce so far in over his head that she begins to actually feel sorry for doing this to him. Frank, much like any man begins to fall head over heels in love with Elise that he refuses to leave and go back to Wisconsin. All the while, one of my favorite actors, Rufus Sewell who can play both the nicest of nice guys and the baddest of bad guys keeps popping up and dropping off letters of instruction for Elise from Pearce. Now Elise and everyone else is in their element except Frank. Frank is the classic fish out of water character and doing his best to survive and his phone call to the concierge at the front desk of his hotel and subsequesnt rooftop run in his pajamas to escape the gangsters henchmen is hilarious.

Scored by the very talented James Newton Howard, the music is lush, moving, and very 1950's feeling at times which again is perfect for this movie. Angelina and Depp are dressed in clothes that could have come out of that time period easily so in my opinion this movie was a throwback. A nod to those movies that are rarely made anymore these days. It's funny, charming, and the perfect movie to see after see Tron :-) I recommend it and I'll see you at the theater.