The Tourist

Well that was boring. I'm sorry if I gave away the reveal of this review too early, but I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot else to say about this disappointing excuse for a thriller. Spy movies can be formulaic and still work, but at least some level of originality is required. It really doesn't matter whether that originality grows out of an interesting character study, a twisty-turny plot full of unseen surprises, or inventive and well choreographed action set pieces. Preferably it includes all of the above, but I'm not greedy. A movie can be full of cliches and well worn plot points if it provides the viewer with something new. Unfortunately, and despite a great deal of talent, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's new star vehicle, The Tourist, had none of the above.

The film opens with the femme fatale, Elise, leading Interpol on a wild goose chase. The police suspect her of attempting to reunite with her old flame, who also happens to be an international criminal. However, we are aware that while that is exactly what she is trying to do, Elise has also chosen a fall guy as a distraction to delay the police. The unsuspecting sap Frank falls in love with Elise (of course), and follows her through a hail of bullets and rooftop chases to an easily predictable ending. Brutal gangsters, relentless police officers, a beautiful woman, a crafty criminal, and an average Joe are all thrown together without much in the way of logic or character development.

The most surprising thing is the enormous amount of talent involved. Von Donnersmarck made his directorial feature film debut with the 2006 The Lives of Others and has been justly praised for it. Along with a bevy of critically acclaimed co-writers (including Christopher McQuarrie of The Usual Suspects), von Donnersmarck constructed a script that contained little of interest, and even less that was fresh or new.

Rufus Sewell watches Angelina Jolie in The Tourist

The elegant Elise is played by Angelina Jolie, who appears almost as if made of porcelain in this movie. Jolie never overacts, and tries her best, but seems to be as bored as I was throughout most of the film. The American "tourist" Frank, is played by Johnny Depp in a very reserved manner. Depp as well, never really seems to be sure of what von Donnersmarck is trying to do, and as a result gives an inconsistent and mostly irritating performance. As a huge fan of both Depp and Jolie, it was frustrating to watch these two talented actors get by on reputation alone. Paul Bettany fulfills the obligatory role of the British policeman attempting to track Jolie, and he does so in uninteresting fashion.

While this is an overwhelmingly negative review, I will mention a couple of positives here. The canals of Venice are gorgeous and von Donnersmarck does provide numerous beautiful scenery shots. Timothy Dalton, as the police supervisor, and Steven Berkoff as the lead gangster both do well in limited roles. The film opens well actually. Jolie eludes the police in a scene reminiscent of The French Connection, and the initial meeting between Jolie and Depp's characters is charming and intriguing. Of course, then as the plot progresses, we realize it actually has nowhere to go.

14/30

News and Links

Hey everyone, been a while since we did a news column here. Lots of good stuff happening recently so I thought I would clue you in on some of it.

To start out with, two extremely interesting trailers have been released in the past couple of months, both of which I'm dying to see. Here, we have a Coen brothers remake of the John Wayne western, True Grit, which looks appropriately gritty, and as long time followers of this blog know, I'm a sucker for Jeff Bridges. This movie looks awesome and I can't wait. The other trailer I'd like to bring to your attention is The Tourist. This film appears to be your traditional action escape fare, but when a cast of Johnny Depp (yes), Angelina Jolie (YES) and Paul Bettany (umm, thats cool I guess) gets together, there is potential for a great action film there. If you can't tell I really like Angelina Jolie.

Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit

Next up we have some casting news. John C. Reilly has joined an already impressive cast for the new film God of Carnage. Contrary to what you might expect from that name, its actually based on a play about two sets of parents who face off after their kids have an altercation at school. This is already turning heads because its going to be directed by the talented Roman Polanski. I very nearly made a crack about Polanski and kids here, but I showed restraint. I'm proud of myself.

Kate Beckinsale

Also in the casting arena, Deadline.com is reporting that Kate Beckinsale is in talks to sign on for the new crime thriller Contraband. It is a remake of a 2008 scandinavian movie (we seem to be doing that a lot recently), and Mark Wahlberg is already attached. There is also some info about Wahlberg's upcoming boxing film, The Fighter, for those of you who are interested.


Finally we have a fun series at the British online paper, The Guardian. They have created a top 25 list of the greatest action and/or war movies of all time. That is here, plus a pretty funny article by Guardian reporter Joe Queenan on action movie cliches. Click around a bit as there is some other good stuff around their site.

That's all we have time for today readers. To quote Mr. Carrey, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Sorry about the long layoff there guys. I'm gonna try to get back on it and post at least once a week here. Here is an interesting one to start us off again.

Terry Gilliam has always been an inventive director. One of the members of the famed British comedy troupe Monty Python, Gilliam brings a zaniness to his films that few can match. His latest effort, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is no exception. With a story that ranges from bizarre to totally nonsensical, Gilliam and his cast and crew construct a film around it that actually succeeds as entertainment, if not as a philosophical discussion.

Unfortunately, this film's legacy will not be tied to anything other than Heath Ledger, making his last appearance ever here, as he tragically died halfway through filming. Instead of halting production or re-filming Ledger's scenes with another actor, Gilliam made the decision to continue with three other actors taking on Ledger's role at various points in the film. Thanks to an ingenious plot device, this endeavor works pretty well, and gives us one last chance to watch Ledger at work.

To give you a brief summary of the incredibly complicated plot; it revolves around the extremely ancient Dr. Parnassus, who claims to be immortal, and his ragtag group of traveling thespians, as they attempt to battle the Devil, also known as Mr. Nick, for souls within Parnassus' Imaginarium. Parnassus and the Devil are also locked in a wager where the winner gets Parnassus' beautiful daughter Valentina as soon as she turns 16. When all is seemingly lost, in steps the mysterious Tony (Ledger), who offers a chance to best the Devil, but has hidden motivations of his own.

The overly convoluted story line and nearly indecipherable figurative and philosophic meanderings of the movie make it a tricky one to follow. But that is not where this film gets its juice from. Gilliam's wild imagination is always fun to watch when he unleashes its full force, combined with a cast that embraces the weirdness of it all, it provides a very watchable film. Ledger is solid as Tony. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play the various other incarnations of Tony, with Depp standing out. Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits steal the show as the continuously gambling Parnassus and Mr. Nick respectively. Lily Cole makes an impressive film debut as Valentina.

Overall it is a flawed film. Gilliam let the plot get away from him, Verne Troyer has way too much dialogue as Parnassus' sidekick, and Ledger's character probably would have benefitted from only having one actor. In the end though, it will always be remembered as Ledger's fairwell role, and as that, it works reasonably well.

22/30