What Do The Critics Say?

"The movie is filled with twists, revelations about characters and a red herring or two. Jolie plays a sophisticated jetsetter and you can easily see why heads turn when she walks through a room. Depp, with a mop of hair that looks like what Woody Allen sported in the early ‘70s, plays Frank. A romantic thriller on the lighter side, providing ample rewards for those willing to play along. Makes great use of its European locations and its attractive and talented cast." Daniel M. Kimmel NORTH SHORE MOVIES BOSTON "Glamour is in plentiful supply and German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck creates a delicious tone rife with mystery, suspense and romance, tossing in a few red herrings and twists for good measure. There's humour too between the thrilling chases and romantic whimsy as the ultimate scam unfolds. Based on the French thriller Anthony Zimmer. The perfect holiday film for those in search of beauty, a whiff of mystery with a soupçon of danger." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "I must admit, I am a sucker for romantic thrillers, especially ones filmed in Paris and Venice featuring the ravishing Angelina Jolie, dressed to the nines in haute couture and fabulous jewels, and Johnny Depp looking ever so dashing in a white dinner jacket. I mean: what's not to like? It may not be an Oscar-caliber film, but it sure is fun to watch!" Jean Kapplan KAPLAN vs KAPLAN "When it comes to sheer star wattage, noby tops Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp They always bring their A game even in a glossy little trifle like, The Tourist. A throwback to stylish thrillers. Sure, the plot is preposterous, but the two stars look great, the scenery is spectacular and the supporting cast is a hoot. This is a slick, sometimes silly, glamorous showcase for two of the worlds biggest movie stars." Richard Roeper RICHARDROEPER.COM "A concoction of sweet thrills and empty calories. We shouldn't take too long admiring it, because it'll melt if we do. Just scoop it up, enjoy the sugary rush and smile. The film is gorgeous to gaze upon, with its loving, almost fetishistic ogling of the city of Venice. The plot is a classic Hitchcockian one built around false identities and double-crosses and a MacGuffin. I enjoyed The Tourist." Christopher Lloyd SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

"The look and feel are refreshing tributes to Alfred Hitchcock's classic thrillers, in which mysterious, beautiful women on a train usually spelled trouble. Jolie is perfectly cast; she's the kind of actress you can believe would have every single man (and woman) in a train car staring at her. Romantic thriller has some mature twists. The costumes and scenery: absolutely swoon worthy." Sandie Angulo Chen COMMON SENSE MEDIA "A film with two of the biggest box office stars on the planet, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, set against the beautiful backdrop of Venice, Italy. As Jeanne points out, "The Tourist" is certainly not headed for any Oscar nods. Hard to completely dismiss the first pairing of Depp and Jolie, so I won't." David Kaplan KAPLAN vs KAPLAN "The story is a clever reworking of the award winning 2005 French thriller, Anthony Zimmer, with Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal. Depp and Jolie are a terrific screen pair, given plenty of opportunities to show their acting chops in this double twisting story. This is enjoyable escapist fare of the highest order. Not only does it have a wonderfully intriguing opening sequence, it has a great ending." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "Too many movies ask us to buy midrange talent as bona fide stars. The Tourist has the real deal. A polished romantic distraction and a brief trip along the canals of Venice with some assured company. The Tourist merely asks you to sit back and enjoy the ride, and then makes that task a breeze." Chris Vognar DALLAS MORNING NEWS "If you're in the mood for mindless, escapist fun: dazzling scenery, elegant evenings, decadent hotel suites and expensive clothes: you'll be fine. There are all the obligatory chases and shootouts you'd expect in a romantic action caper, but you never get the sense that anyone's in real danger. There are twists, but they won't make you think too terribly hard, and in the end you will have devoted fewer than two hours of your life to a decent diversion. Jolie provides the sultry action, and Depp offers some sweet, goofy laughs, and in the end no one got sunburned or suffered from food poisoning." Christy Lemire ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Inside Story When Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck presented his vision of The Tourist to producer Graham King, it took King all of thirty minutes to decide that he wanted to finance and produce the film. "I wanted to make a film that would be one of those experiences where you just sit back and enjoy life for a couple of hours," says Donnersmarck. "When Florian sent me the script, there was a combination of factors that made me want to sign on," says King. "In the past several years, he had seen a lot of scripts and passed on a lot of scripts: he had his choice of projects; so I was intrigued that he had taken to this one. Having Angelina Jolie attached didn’t hurt, either." "The Tourist", directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Christopher McQuarrie and Julian Fellowes, is a GK Films and Columbia Pictures presentation in association with Spyglass Entertainment. Spyglass developed the property before GK Films stepped in to finance and produce. Jolie had been attracted to the project by the potential of the strong female character and by the chance to work with director Henckel von Donnersmarck, and to have him co-write the script. After a very early meeting, it was clear that the director and star were on the same page about the kind of movie they wanted to make. Unlike the 2007 Oscar winning "Das Leben der Anderen" ("The Lives of Others") which Jolie describes as "a beautiful, intelligent film, but also heavy", Donnersmarck was looking for something that wasn't too serious. "When we met, he was very clear that he wanted to make a movie that was luxurious and fun, something that would be exciting for people to watch but didn’t take itself too seriously. It was a perfect match." Now the most important step for director and producer was to find the right male lead. BAFTA winner Donnersmarck recalls: "We really needed someone who wouldn’t be eclipsed by Angelina. When we brainstormed over what actor could be a true partner for her in terms of attractiveness, intelligence and acting skill, the only name that kept coming to our minds was Johnny Depp," 2005 Golden Globe winner Depp ("Finding Neverland") and 2007 Oscar® winning producer Graham King ("The Departed") have been friends for years, and, recently, have teamed up on several projects including "The Departed", "Blood Diamond" and "Gangs of New York". King mentioned to Depp that Donnersmarck and he were looking for a leading man to star in a fun, exciting, sexy thriller opposite Angelina Jolie, and both felt that he would be perfect for the part. Donnersmarck remembers meeting with Depp. "I presented the kind of character I envisioned for him, and he liked it. Our meeting lasted three hours instead of one, and we laughed so much that I realized I needed to introduce a lot of humor into the script to do justice to Johnny’s charm." Jolie and Depp are two of the most engaging, charismatic, and talented actors working in film today, but as the film requires its characters to share an immediate attraction to each other, all felt it was a good idea to meet and talk before signing on. And believe it or not, that is how Angelina Jolie and Depp met for the first time. Despite being two of the biggest movie stars, they had not entered each other's orbit until they sat down to discuss "The Tourist" with the director and producer. King sat quietly and watched them interact, watching to see how the actors would get along. Perhaps it was no surprise that they clicked from the first moment. "There was complete instant chemistry between them both." "Graham called me right after that meeting and was so excited," adds producer Tim Headington ("Edge of Darkness"). "Having either Angelina Jolie or Johnny Depp in this film would have been extraordinary, but the pair together is that perfect combination you dream about but rarely, if ever, happens," says co-screenwriter and 2002 Oscar® winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"). In "The Tourist", Jolie was cast as Elise Ward, the paramour of the criminal Alexander Pearce, who has disappeared. "There are a lot of people looking for him," says 2000 Oscar® winner Jolie ("Girl, Interrupted"). "He’s stolen a lot of money from a gangster. The gangster wants revenge: and his money back; and the British want him for the taxes on the money he stole. Everyone’s looking for him, including Elise, who hasn’t seen him for a long time and isn’t quite sure when he’ll turn up again." Playing off rumors that he's drastically altered his appearance, Pearce gets word to Elise: get on a certain train for Venice, choose a stranger of approximately Pearce’s height and build, and make everyone else believe that man is Pearce. She chooses the American math teacher Frank Tupelo, who’s headed to Venice to try to mend a broken heart. "She throws him into an adventure he’s not prepared for." Of course, not everything goes according to Elise’s plan. "Imagine a woman who is elegant, sophisticated, and educated, who falls for a guy who is not any of those things," says Donnersmarck. "She has this grand master plan, and falling for him was not meant to happen." "I wanted this to be a thriller that was simply a fun time at the movies," says King who was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's New Years Honours List. "Two extraordinary actors, with amazing chemistry, set in an exotic, bigger than life location. Who wouldn’t want to go on an adventure in Paris and Venice with Angelina and Johnny?" Depp says that he likes working with Graham King because "Graham is a renegade. He understands the rules of the game, but he doesn’t necessarily adhere to them. He thrives on the risk factor, and that makes him unique. He likes a challenge, he’s got great taste, and he doesn’t care what other people are doing. He cares about what he believes in." The screenwriters set the film in Venice, which lent the film its entirely unique atmosphere of beauty and danger. "Somebody once said that Kodak owed most of its revenue to Venice. In terms of art and beauty, it’s the richest place in the world: there’s nothing else like it. In reality, the city is sinking and falling to bits, but we wanted to show the glory of the place. We asked ourselves, how can we show the city from its best side? ," Donnersmarck notes. 2000 Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award winner Jon Hutman (TV'S "The West Wing") adds: "There is something about being there. The water, the architecture, and the history combined create something very special. What we have tried to do is take these existing visual gems and fit them into the story." Not only was it the right creative choice to shoot the movie in Venice, but surprisingly enough, the choice made practical sense as well. "It seems like a crazy thing for a studio or producer to allow, but we had a very limited window in which to make the movie." The setting called for the film’s action sequences to be striking and written especially for the city. Stunt choreographer Simon Crane (a stunt legend after working on films ranging from "Cliffhanger", "Saving Private Ryan" to "Hancock") was charged with planning character driven action sequences unique to Venice. "Anyone can dream up an action sequence," says Crane ("Mr & Mrs Smith"). "But if it doesn’t fit the tone of the film, it’s totally worthless. It’s all about believability." In early conversations between Donnersmarck and Hutman, both agreed the film’s design had to reflect the beauty of the city of Venice, while making sure the city still felt fresh and contemporary. "Where else but the city of Venice can you have canal boat chases and roof top chases, but also have your characters doing a walk and talk strolling through some of the most stunning streets in the world? Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and Venice. It doesn’t get much better than that!" says Hutman. It was Fellowes ("The Young Victoria") who hatched the idea of setting the film in Venice. "Venice combines beguiling beauty with a sinister under-taste of a decay of civilization. The city can have a darkness to it." Venice, known as the 'city of canals', stretches across a shallow and marshy lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in Northeast Italy. Built on an archipelago of one hundred and eighteen islands formed by about one hundred and fifty canals, with roughly four hundred bridges connecting the islands, it boast stunning architecture. Transportation is either by boat or on foot: no cars or even bicycles are allowed. Still, even with the logistical challenge it presented, it was easy to sell the filmmakers on the location. 1981 Oscar® winner and executive producer Lloyd Phillips explained: "You really never know what Venice is about. It has so many faces. The architecture is so unique. The light is like nowhere else in the world. It bounces off the canals onto windows in such a magical way. This film is filled with twists and turns, and that intrigue, along with the combination of the character of the city, is a perfect marriage." Venice is primarily a tourist destination, and the Mayor’s Office and the Chief of Police in Venice were very helpful during filming in assisting the production blend in with some of the twenty million visitors the city receives every year with a minimum of headaches. From Piazza San Marco to the Peggy Guggenheim to the Natural History Museum to the Rialto Market to the Arsenale, tourists visiting the city caught a glimpse of Jolie and Depp in action. The filmmakers surrounded Depp and Jolie with a cast of actors and famous faces. 2008 Hollywood Film Award winner Paul Bettany ("The Secret Life Of Bees") plays Acheson, the policeman trying to track down the gangster Alexander Pearce. "He’s become obsessed with catching Pearce. He’s been trying so long and has been foiled at every turn. But the thing about this movie is that nobody can be taken at face value: not even my character." Timothy Dalton, best known for his portrayal of James Bond, takes on a very different kind of British government agent: Chief Inspector Jones. He is ultimately in charge of the men leading the investigation into Alexander Pearce. "I play the role of Chief Inspector Jones, a number-crunching, budget conscious policeman who is in overall command of the operation to capture Alexander Pearce. His concerns are not in the morality of either the crime or the criminal but in simply getting hold of the enormous amount of money Pearce has stolen. Pearce has seven hundred and fourty four million in illegal assets that, given he is a British subject, we might seize!" Acclaimed English actor, playwright, author and director Steven Berkoff plays the villain Shaw, a gangster who wants to find Alexander Pearce even more than Acheson does, if that’s possible. "My character is a curious mix of devil, charm, and sophistication. I have scenes with Angelina Jolie that are very intense and feature knives and guns. She made it so easy and kept her cool," Berkoff (Lab Ky Mo's 2002 film, "9 Dead Gay Guys") revealed. "She is fearless and very, very trusting. She doesn’t bat an eyelid in an intense situation. She is so focused." What's It All About?

Elise Clifton-Ward is in Paris under surveillance by the French Police who are part of a coordinated operation assisting a British Task Force who are trying to track down her former lover. While at a Cafe, Elise receives a note, delivered by a courier. It warns her to flee immediately and take the high-speed train to Venice. She is also told to pick a stranger who is of a similar build to her now estranged lover, who is on the run after embezzling Crime Boss, Reginald Shaw. On an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, maths teacher Frank, unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise, an alluring woman who crosses his path on a train from Paris to Venice and befriends him. Frank is besotted. She finds him intriguing. Against a breathtaking backdrop, a whirlwind romance quickly evolves, until they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

The Verdict "Australia's top three grossing films in the Top 10 Box-office takings during the early part of the holiday period (commencing December 26th 2010 and in to 2011) were all soundly roasted by the critics. Let me remind you of those films. At #1 for two weeks and still going strong was "Little Fockers", #2 "Gulliver's Travels and #3 was "The Tourist". In fact, all three are still in the Top 10. The latter at the time of writing was still in the top 10 at #10. Meanwhile "MTP Little Fockers" has grossed AU$18,136,281, Gulliver AU$14,830,939 and Tourist AU$10,670,043. Says a lot doesn't it. Jolie's last film "Salt" (budget US$110m), also savaged by the critics (but liked by audiences who ignored them) still managed US$293,502,218 worldwide. Once again, despite the critics, "The Tourist" (budget $100m) has already grossed US$187,125,453. Thankfully, the word has spread fast: "The Tourist" is worth watching. From the film's 'Pink Pantherish' opening scene featuring a clumsy, bumbling surveillance by French Police of the gorgeous Elise; the on-train meeting; a hotel scene with sizzling chemistry between the besotted Frank and a beguiling Elise; lashings of stunning Venice; some great action sequences and a tricky, tense, finale; von Donnersmarck's film is pure, escapist fun. All it demands is that you sit back, soak it all up and come along for the ride. There's no trick. Just have fun and enjoy every moment. Couldn't be simpler. Recommended. 4 STARS." Who's Playing Who?

Johnny Depp Angelina Jolie Paul Bettany Timothy Dalton Steven Berkoff Rufus Sewell Christian De Sica Alessio Boni Daniele Pecci Giovanni Guidelli Raoul Bova Bruno Wolkowitch Marc Ruchmann Julien Baumgartner François Vincentelli Clément Sibony Jean-Claude Adelin Igor Jijikine Vladimir Orlov Vladimir Tevlovski Alec Utgoff Mark Zak

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Frank Elise Inspector John Acheson Chief Inspector Jones Reginald Shaw The Englishman Colonnello Lombardi Sergente Cerato Tenente Narduzzi Tenente Tommassini Conte Filippo Gaggia Capitaine Courson Brigadier Kaiser Brigadier Ricuort Brigadier Marion Brigadier Rousseau Brigadier Cavillan Virginsky Lebyadkin Liputin Fedka Shigalyov

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Screenplay by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck/Christopher McQuarrie/Julian Fellowes/ Screenplay for motion picture "Anthony Zimmer" by Jérôme Salle Produced by Gary Barber/Roger Birnbaum/Jonathan Glickman/Tim Headington/Graham King Original Music by James Newton Howard Cinematography by John Seale Film Editing by Joe Hutshing & Patricia Rommel Casting by Susie Figgis Production Design by Jon Hutman Art Direction by Susanna Codognato Supervising Art Director Marco Trentini Set Decoration by Anna Pinnock Costume Design by Colleen Atwood Run Time 103 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.