Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Tourist Blu-ray Movie Review

Vacation to boredom.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 1, 2011

You are the least down-to-earth person I've ever met.

What makes a movie "good?" Is it the story it tells or the people who play in it? Occasionally the answer may be other than the former -- a great actor might elevate a mediocre script -- but generally a movie is only worth the story it chooses to tell, and the cast, then, tends only to enhance it; think of something like Glory as a movie built around a wonderful story made all the better by a flawless group of performances both primary and secondary. Now consider what is often referred to as "star power;" can "stars" alone make a movie -- independent of the quality of their performances -- or are they little more than marketing ploys to get people into theater seats? That's a little more of a broad question; great movies often attract great stars or discover new ones, but there does seem to be a breaking point where "stars" begin to stagnate, their performances become a little stilted, and would-be mediocre movies still in the pre-production stages graviate towards them in hopes of driving business, banking on faces and names rather than quality of script. The Tourist seems like a perfect storm of almost all of the above negatives; it's a movie built around name stars brought in to solidify a snooze-worthy script, but if their performances are any indication, both Angelina Jolie -- fresh off a rousing success in Salt -- and the ever-dependable Johnny Depp (the Pirates of the Caribbean films) have reached a plateau. They neither turn in praiseworthy performances nor in any way make The Tourist a better movie than its script has to offer. It's rare to see a movie with two big name stars and from a major studio flatline as quickly as this, but The Tourist is more or less dead on arrival, a boring, pointless picture that even two of the past decade's biggest name brands cannot save.

Touring.

Elise Clifton-Ward (Jolie) is a woman on the run. She's being followed by French authorities and is wanted for her involvement with the mysterious Alexander Pearce, a man harboring some 744 million Pounds worth of illegal assets. Elise is pursued by a dedicated cop (Paul Bettany) who orders her brought in when she receives a note he believes to be from Pearce. Elise burns the note and escapes to the train it directed her towards where she is ordered to find a man whom she can pass off as Pearce to throw off her pursuers. She chooses a lone American schoolteacher and Spy thriller fan named Frank Tupelo (Depp) as her patsy, but there's one thing she didn't count on: she begins to fall for him, and he her. Matters are complicated when a mob boss named Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff) also picks up Elise's trail and, like the authorities, suspects Frank to be the evasive Alexander Pearce. With Elise on the run and Frank trying to size up his new love interest and piece together why it is that he's suddenly a wanted man, various individuals close in on the pair despite the case of mistaken identity, following a man who happened only to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The primary problem with The Tourist, unlike its namesake, is that it never actually goes anywhere, least of all anywhere interesting. Pretty locations, nice-looking people, faux drama, a stifled romance, and lame action scenes are no way to make a movie that's worth anything. The Tourist relies heavily on all of those elements; it's a bore for sure, a movie that's completely superficial and built around a foundation that's the epitome of the do-nothing type. The basics of the plot may be sound, but the film somehow drains any semblance of urgency, excitement, and fun from the basic storyline. Where there should be intrigue there's instead lackadaisical paint-by-numbers developments; where there should be action there are tiresome and slow-paced chases; and even when the movie tries to be breezy and cheery there's a dark cloud of lethargy hanging over the thing. The Tourist seems to have good intentions as a lighthearted throwback Spy thriller sort of movie that's not necessarily a Comedy, not exactly a traditional Romance, and certainly not a hardcore Daniel Craig Casino Royale type of outing, either. Unfortunately, that middle ground just doesn't work, at least not here, at least not with this script, and certainly not with these characters. The Tourist demonstrates potential at the foundation of its story, but the film has been scrubbed of any and all attributes that might have made it even a moderate success.

The Tourist was directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the man behind the chilling, thought-provoking, and infinitely well-crafted The Lives of Others, a movie with tension to spare, fantastic character development, and unmatched focus. All of those elements would have made The Tourist a better film -- even considering the drastic differences in style and intent between the pictures -- but they're mysteriously absent here. The Tourist, by and large, is a cast-driven picture; when, where, how, and why the film morphed into a star vehicle first and foremost is anyone's guess, but the film seems hellbent on allowing its stars and its stars alone to save it. Johnny Depp does a fair job of playing the "aw shucks" reluctant hero, but aside from his name he doesn't bring much to the table. Angelina Jolie dazzles in her classy wardrobe selections and has that sly, "nothing is as it seems" veneer that she also demonstrated, but in a different sort of way, in Salt, down pat, but like her co-star, there's an emptiness behind the façade. Ironically, it's the supporting cast that regularly props up the movie; Timothy Dalton, Paul Bettany, Steven Berkoff, and Rufus Sewell all add far more depth to their secondary parts than do Depp and Jolie in the film's lead roles.

The Tourist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

True to Sony's standards, The Tourist looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The 1080p transfer offers a fine filmic image reinforced by a subtle layer of natural film grain. Fine detail is exceptional; the various Italian locations offer breathtaking beauty in the intricacy of both ornate building façades and ordinary street-level pavement. Additionally, facial textures are superb, and clothing details are hard to beat. The color palette favors something of a warm tint that accentuates reds, oranges, and yellows; flesh tones carry these same attributes. Nighttime shots reveal excellent shadow details and true, inky blacks. The image features a fair amount of depth, and clarity and sharpness are both exceptional. Additionally, the print is meticulously clean and the image is free of any troublesome banding, blockiness, or excessive edge halos. A few shots do go slightly soft, but such seem inherent to the source rather than a result of a misstep in the transfer-to-Blu-ray process. All in all, this is a top-tier transfer that's typical of Sony's usual high-quality output.

The Tourist Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Right on the heels of its excellent video quality is The Tourist's fine lossless audio presentation. The film is built around a somewhat laid back sound design that generally leaves hard-hitting Action movie-style fare behind in favor of a more reserved, airy feel. Indeed, the film's music is light and flows naturally from the front speakers with excellent clarity from the top down. Background ambience is limited but effective; whether random radio chatter as heard in the spy van following Elise as the film opens or various city-specific nuances, the track does well to integrate subtle effects to enhance the film's mood. The surround channels aren't actively engaged, but they do spit out the occasional discrete effect and sometimes chime in to help carry heavier sound effects, like an idling jet engine or, later in the film, a few gunshots and an explosion. Dialogue is the track's primary element, and Sony's DTS presentation handles it without flaw. Much like the movie it accompanies, this lossless soundtrack is fairly plain and not at all noteworthy, but it still handles every element with ease.

The Tourist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Tourist features an audio commentary track, several featurettes, an alternate opening animated sequence, and an outtake reel.

• Audio Commentary: Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck delivers a well-rounded commentary, speaking on the film's style, the importance of characterization, the small details that went into the crafting of the movie, the qualities of the cast, insights into the technical aspects of the movie, and plenty more. The track is more engaging than the movie itself; fans will definitely want to give it a try.
• Canal Chats (1080p, 6:01): Cast and crew discuss the film and the shooting locales while riding through the waters of Venice.
• A Gala Affair (1080p, 7:12): A detailed look into the making of the film's extravagant gala sequence.
• Action in Venice (1080p, 6:29): A glimpse into the process of crafting one of the film's key action scenes.
• Bringing Glamour Back (1080p, 9:08): Cast and crew talk up the film's elegant façade.
• Tourist Destination -- Travel the Canals of Venice (1080p, 3:17): Cast and crew talk up the beauty of the city.
• Alternate Animated Title Sequence (1080p, 2:14).
• Outtake Reel (1080p, 1:26).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.
• MovieIQ.
• BD-Live.
• DVD Copy.

The Tourist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unfortunately, "star power" wasn't enough to save The Tourist from its own lethargy. Neither Angelina Jolie nor Johnny Depp manages to find the spark they usually ignite, but given how slow to develop the movie may be and given that even as it does develop there's very little of note going on, one can hardly lay all the blame at their feet. The Tourist looks good and manages a halfway surprising twist at the end, but it's miserably paced (that tends to happen when the plot has nowhere to go) and decidedly bland with nothing even resembling excitement and certainly not enough drama or suspense to cover up the lack of action. It really does come down to quality of script; even the best actors, generally, can't save a dull story, and movies like The Tourist prove critical in understanding the differences between "strong performers" and "stars." They're not always mutually exclusive, but in The Tourist, both stars fizzle into the void that is a black hole of a script. Fortunately, Sony's Blu-ray release of The Tourist does offer sparkling video, fine audio, and a nice array of extras. Worth a rental for those who just have to see it.