Bringing together Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, The Tourist is a remake of French film, Anthony Zimmer, but with a slightly tongue in cheek take. Combining comedy, drama, action and thrills, the first glimpses of the film in the trailer looked really slick, but the film didn’t go on to pick up too many plaudits from film critics – in fact it resulted in Johnny Depp getting a public dress down at the hands of Ricky Gervais at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards Ceremony.
Release date
Cinema: It had a Christmas blockbuster release date of the 10th December giving Little Fockers a run for its money for the number 1 spot over the holiday period. However, with less than favourable reviews neither film dominated the big screen box office takings.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download: The Tourist went on to be released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download in the UK on the 25th April 2011, following on from the US home entertainment release on the 22nd March 2011.
Story
The story follows tourist Frank (Depp) as he travels to Italy in the hopes of getting over his broken heart, but Elise (Jolie) slides herself into his life and he becomes embroiled in a world of crime, danger, gangsters and secret agents. However, it is the story of the relationship that develops between Frank and Elise under the portrait of the watery streets of Venice that steels the show.
Cast
Johnny Depp (Alice Through The Looking Glass) plays the central character of Frank the unassuming tourist with Angelina Jolie (Kung Fu Panda 3) playing his temptress Elise. They’re joined by Paul Bettany (Captain America: Civil War) as Inspector John Acheson and Timothy Dalton (Doctor Who) as Chief Inspector Jones, along with Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) as Alexander Pearce.
Production
The movie was directed by German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who also wrote the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). The producers of the film include Graham King, Timothy Headington, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman.
DVD and Blu-ray extras
DVD special features:
- Audio Commentary with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Blu-ray special features:
All DVD extras plus…
- Bringing Glamour Back – featuring interviews with cast and crew talking about the golden era of Hollywood
- A Gala Affair – looking at the designs, costumes and choreography of the dinner sequence
- Alternate Animated Title Sequence
- Outtake Reel
- Trailers
Review
With small shades of The Limits of Control, The Tourist is a slick, clever and funny film and while it never really gets all that engaging it does entertain. The interplay between Depp and Jolie is strong with the two big names working well together onscreen, and when combined with the intrigue of the overarching storyline it makes for a decent caper with a twisted tail. Admittedly, there is an element of truth to Gervais’ comments about a lack of character depth in the film, but that doesn’t take away all of the fun.
