Review: 'The Tourist' is low on energy

Film: The Tourist (U/A)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Rating: **

Much more was expected of Florian Henckel after his masterful and spellbinding The Lives of Others, and it’s certainly not what this bon-bon trifle starring two of the most sought after stars in the Hollywood firmament has turned out to be. Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Venice... the combination should have developed into the ultimate romantic thriller. But alas!

This film, a remake of the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer, was initially conceived as a vehicle for Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise and was to be directed by Bharat Nalluri.

The screenplay was also rewritten a few times before the final product came into being, a quasi-Hitchcockian continental intrigue credited to Jullien Felowes, Christopher McQuarrie, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Florian Henckel.

Elise Ward (Jolie) receives a letter from her absconding lover, Alexander Pierce, a high-class thief wanted for stealing $744 million. Elise hops on to a Venice-bound train and homes in on Frank Tupelo (Depp), a rumpled everyman schoolteacher from Wisconsin, who in turn gets seduced into being the fall guy.

A succession of coy glances and suggestive one-liners lend shaky credence to their supposed on-screen attraction. But there is no chemistry to strengthen its experiential impact. And the hot pursuit of Scotland Yard detectives and underworld thugs adds to the ridiculousness of it all.

Why did Elise choose Frank? It’s a question as intriguing as the film is flat, devoid of thrills and unexciting.

Even the action sequences are devoid of thrills and tension. Jolie tries to maintain a mystical aura throughout, but the effort shows up as mere posturing. Depp plays the confused American quite effectively, but his scenes with Jolie lack the passion required to make the plot more believable.

John Seale’s camerawork is interesting and so is Jon Hutman’s production design and James Newton Howard’s background score. And that’s all. This film is more intent on teasing the senses than providing anything sumptuous or invigorating!