Movie Review: THE TOURIST

photo © 2010 Gage Skidmore | more info (via: Wylio)Angelina Jolie is one of my favorite actresses. While her characters are not that diverse, the action heroine she often falls back on is so well done. I'll see almost anything she's in. Despite getting critically panned, her new movie, The Tourist, also starring Johnny Depp, is not half bad. But it could have been a heck of a lot better.

Depp plays the tourist in question, a man just out for a train ride in the European countryside. When Jolie's character involves him in some risky business, instead of being mad, he finds himself in love. Some of the dialog is over-polished and hokey, and the first hour of the movie moves at a glacial pace. That being said, the last 40 minutes are excellent, fast-moving, and downright funny at times.

I would have liked Jolie and Depp to interact more - their chemistry was seemingly non-existent. They are both very good at the acting profession, but neither really seemed to want to be making this film. My guess is that their agents pitched it as a European vacation with a little side work. That's even if they went to Europe where the film is set - there are some clunky and obvious backdrops where you can practically see the green screen reflecting off of their hair. Former James Bond, Timothy Dalton, and Paul Bettany round out the underused supporting cast, but with all of that criticism, I didn't hate the movie. My guess is you won't either - you just won't love it. I would give it a 6 out of 10.

Family Take: It's too slow for most kids to want to see it, and there is some violence and profanity not suitable for those under 13.

If You Like The Tourist Try: For adults, ramp up the mystery of a train ride by watching the thriller Transsiberian which was released a couple of years ago.