Movie review: The Tourist **

The Tourist **

Stars: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Rated: PG-13
Showing: Southside Cinema Thursday, January 6 at 7:30pm. Week of Friday, January 7 - Daily at 7:30pm. For information about film times, call 297-2821.
Runtime: 103 minutes
Thriller/action/drama

The Tourist aims to be Hitchcockian suspense thriller revolving around a case of mistaken identity, but it’s a very poor homage to the likes of North By Northwest.

And while leads Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are exceptionally easy on the eye, they have neither the charisma nor chemistry of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.

The story follows the mysterious Paris-based Elise (Jolie), whose lover has stolen millions and is on the run from the authorities and a mobster.

He sends her a note telling her to catch a train to Venice and along the way pick up a stranger of his size and build so the authorities will think it’s him.

The police have been following Elise and are hot on her tail when she heads for Italy and sets her sights on American tourist Frank (Depp), a math professor with a broken heart.

He soon falls under her alluring spell and vows to help and protect her and what follows is a series of dull chase sequences across rooftops and through canals as the duo is pursued by an obsessed Scotland Yard detective (Paul Bettany) and an angry mobster (Steven Berkoff).

Given the Oscar-winning trio of script writers — Donnersmarck (The Lives Of Others), Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) — you expect far better dialogue than the contrived lines served up.

The rare action scenes are boring and rely too heavily on the score to give a sense of excitement, while Depp and Jolie have zero romantic chemistry.

Thankfully the pair look good — especially Jolie’s Sophia Loren look in an evening dress — and this, along with the sumptuous scenery of Venice, notably the sweeping overhead shots, is the saving grace of this movie.

Watch if you liked: Mr. & Mrs. Smith.