THE TOURIST 3.0**** Barely
We're all used to seeing Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in dramatic/action roles and it's so easy to forget that they can be lighthearted and funny. But they can be and are in this film.. Johnny shines, as he always does. Angelina Jolie looks glorious, and when she smiles, the screen lights up and I melt down.. They don't have chemistry, some critics say. Oh yes, they do. More importantly, they seem to be enjoying themselves.

Johnny plays an American math teacher called Frank who, while on holiday in Europe, is approached on a train by a mysterious and beautiful woman called Elise (Angie ). Little does he know, however, that he's actually being used by her as a decoy to shift police attention from her lover - a financial 'whizz-kid' who ripped off a scummy criminal and now owes the British government over 700 million Euros in taxable funds. In a case of mistaken identity, the angry defrauded criminal assumes Frank is her thieving lover and Frank ends up being plunged into a whole web of intrigue, pursued by both the cops and the robbers. At the same time, he's trying to battle his own increasing infatuation with Elise.

This is a rather sophisticated and old-fashioned movie and its all the better for it. It would be easy to imagine this being made in 60s with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn starring in the lead roles. As Frank, Johnny Depp once again shows us why he's one of the best out there. It's easy to imagine George Clooney – surely the aforementioned Grant's heir - playing this role, but Depp is more effective and brings a more earthy quality, able to play both plain and debonair at the drop of a hat. Similarly, Angelina Jolie is convincing as the conflicted mystery woman Elise, and puts in a nice understated performance while at the same time never looking better. The chemistry between them starts slowly and builds as they interact. In fact the interplay between them for the first 40 minutes is absolutely brilliant.

A PG-13 rating means there is little violence or sex or naughty words.


Clark