Confession:
until I saw "The Tourist" I never understood Angelina Jolie being
hailed for her beauty but in this movie I was floored by her big eyes,
her Scarlet O'Hara waist, the swan like neck, how she moved and looked
in very stylish clothes, long sleeved gloves and all. From her opening
outfit to her ball gown she looked stunning.

Almost
lost in the competition with the filming of the actress was the filming
of Venice and the surrounding country. There are shots of a train
speeding through the country side that will get tourist agents hopping
not to mention the lush hotel featured as a main back drop, not to
forget all the boats in the canals. John Seale, the director of photography, and Jon Hutman, the production designer, deserve special kudos.

The director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, uses humor and throws in red herrings, trying to pull of a Hicthcock movie but fails due to one major flaw. Johnny Depp is one of our finest actors but in no way is he an everyman, a Jim
Stewart or Henry Fonda type and he certainly isn't the Cary Grant of
today's films and it is the light touch of  Grant that is needed in this
film. I don't know if it is the director or scriptwriters, Christopher McQuarrie and Julian Fellowes or actors fault but there is zero chemistry between Depp and Jolie and this is a film that cries for that chemistry.

Mostly everything in the movie is beautiful and it is fairly fast moving with chases, crazy villains
along with some suspense. It is a pleasant enough film but in no way
does it live up to the expectations that two major stars of today's
cinema should command and deliver in their performances.