Oscar-winning German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck makes his English-language debut with an action thriller. The Tourist stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp against a backdrop of stunning locations in Venice.
The movie delivers the routine blend of action and suspense that has been a staple of several Jolie movies, like the recent Salt. Yet in The Tourist the action star also shows off her softer side.
'My character in this film is different from any other film,' Jolie said. '[The director] Florian's note to me was to slow down, as [my character] Elise lives in a world of quiet luxury and elegance.'
The film revolves around maths teacher Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), an America tourist who is visiting Venice to mend his broken heart. He winds up in a playful encounter with Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie), a mysterious woman who befriends Tupelo in a ploy to divert the police's attention from her former boyfriend, a criminal on the run. The whirlwind romance soon evolves into a game of cat and mouse.
Strangely, it's the first time megastars Jolie and Depp have co-starred. 'To have 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,' co-screenwriter Julian Fellowes said.
The filmmakers set out to create chemistry between cinema's reigning action queen and the famous yet somewhat eccentric actor who last year played the Mad Hatter in the Tim Burton hit Alice in Wonderland.
'They are great actors, and I wanted to give them roles in which they could really show what they can do,' Donnersmarck said. 'Elise is charming, delicate and feminine ... Frank is winning, charming and funny, just like Johnny is in real life.'