The Tourist

Ya'll know me, I simply cannot resist a good spy/caper flick. And 2010 has certainly delivered more than the normal share of caper-themed films (Knight and Day and Red were winners, while Killers fell far short of the mark). Happily, The Tourist falls into the winner category. I came *thisclose* to passing on seeing this one in theaters, but I just couldn't resist 1) Johnny Depp and 2) the gorgeous European settings, which reminded me of Charade and To Catch a Thief. In fact, The Tourist feels like it is very deliberately constructed with a "throwback" feel to it, reminding me of the days in classic Hollywood when gorgeous guys like Cary Grant would cross paths with femme fatales like Eva Marie Saint on cross-country trips (The Tourist will really make you want to rewatch North by Northwest, if you're at all wired like me *wink*). Seriously, is there anything more romantic than trains in movies?!

Anyways, if you've seen the film's trailer you have a pretty good idea of the storyline. Angelina Jolie plays Elise, the former lover of a mysterious man named Alexander who is wanted by just about every law enforcement agency you can imagine for some major tax evasion charges. Alexander sends Elise a message with very specific instructions - to board a train and choose a random man who resembles him in height, build, and coloring, and make the men who are following her belive they've reunited. Because you see, no one knows what Alexander looks like - since absconding with billions of dollars from a mobster that used him as a private banker, Alexander used some of that money to acquire a completely new face. Jolie's target of choice is mild-mannered Frank Tupelo, a math teacher from Wisconsin played by Depp. Things get unexpectedly dangerous for Frank when the mobsters on Alexander's trail take up the chase, determined to get their money back.

I love and adore Johnny Depp, but seriously, even the role of a math teacher from middle America seems to require more than the usual suspension of disbelief. *wink* Depp is NO "everyman" if you get my drift. But if you don't mind a minor SPOILER - all is not as it seems with the mild-mannered Frank. As far as Jolie goes, I have seen very few of her films - nothing against her, really, it's just that she doesn't typically make the type of movie I'm interested in in seeing, I guess. Here she's definitely channeling Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. In every scene she's all elegance, classier than I think I've ever seen her on-screen. This is my favorite of her costumes, worn to a ball - I just adore this dress!

Now, I'm really torn as to how much detail to to go into about Frank and Elise's relationship. I don't know if the movie's really obvious and I was just going into the theater playing really dumb or what (*wink*), but there are two major twists that occur towards the end of The Tourist that I quite frankly didn't see coming AT ALL. And while some would argue that they're too contrived, honestly it all worked for me. The whole feel of The Tourist is pure escapism from beginning to end, coated with a glamour that evokes Old Hollywood - and people I just love that.

On to some of the other cast members - Paul Bettany plays Inspector John Acheson, a man who is completely obsessed with Elise's connection to Alexander, and driven to bring the fugitive to justice at all costs. Bettany adds class to any film he appears in, and I really enjoyed watching his obsessive inspector become increasingly more driven and borderline unhinged as the chase reaches its climax. Acheson's boss was played by Timothy Dalton of all people - loved seeing him on-screen, especially after his memorable guest spots on Chuck this past fall. But the best surprise of all was the moment Rufus Sewell appeared on the screen as "The Englishman." People, I just adore that man, and he needs to be in more movies or TV shows asap. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Zen mystery series he's been filming appears on the 2011 Masterpiece Mystery schedule.

The settings throughout the film are absolutely breath-taking. Filmed in Paris and Venice, the filmmakers take full advantage of the atmosphere and architecture to completely sweep one into the story. If you're like me you'll forgive any plot contrivances for another view of the gorgeous Venice cityscape. And because I'm such a film score junkie, I have to give a nod to James Newton Howard's lovely score. It was always the perfect complement to the scene or action, and with the occasional "caper theme" flourish that reminded me just a bit of old school James Bond, it was a lot of fun to listen to.

Okay, I can't resist discussing the twists I referred to earlier, so from this point on...

BEWARE OF SPOILERS :)

So, Elise turns out to be an undercover agent who "went dark" when she was sent to Russia to infiltrate Alexander's life. The problem? She fell in love with him. When she marks Frank and starts to get to know him, she decides that it's time to turn Alexander in - she still loves him, but she's started falling for Frank and doesn't want to see the hapless math teacher get hurt. Well, it turns out that instead of conning the police, Elise was the one getting played, because Frank was Alexander all along (still following me? *g*).

I found myself unexpectedly fascinated by the way the movie played with the idea of love - would it be possible for a woman to be so in love with, so tied to a man that she could fall in love with him twice and not realize it? Am I making sense here - are we supposed to believe, I guess, that Elise is drawn to Frank because subconsciously she "knows" him even though he has a new face? One can debate whether or not Jolie and Depp have sufficient on-screen chemistry - it's rather a slow burn between the two characters, and in the context of this story it worked for me. I guess it's the hopeless romantic in me that really appreciated how the final twist played out. Elise's delight at realizing she'd fallen for the same man twice, Frank/Alexander facing down the mobster, and the fact that Bettany's Inspector was right all along, and knew his quarry better than anyone ever gave him credit for - but he still couldn't capture the elusive Alexander in the act.

Escapism at its best, I found The Tourist to be a highly entertaining two hour diversion. The story's twists and turns and its gorgeous settings will be a world I'll enjoy revisiting in the future. And it's really quite a clean film, some action violence but other than that a welcome modern-day throwback to the great escapist "caper" films of the 1950s and 1960s. Here's hoping The Tourist inspires some people to check out the great films that so clearly inspired it. Click to read my review of North by Northwest, if you're interested. :)

The Young Victoria

I have been waiting probably about a year to see The Young Victoria. It finally opened around here on Christmas Day, and I went to see it with two friends on New Year's Eve. It was well worth the wait. It's costume drama and spectacle at its finest. :) When I was in college I went through this phase where I was really interested in Victoria and Albert. This was most likely spurred by the broadcast of the Victoria & Albert miniseries in 2001. That miniseries is a much more comprehensive look at Victoria's reign, and stars the aptly named Victoria Hamilton as the Queen (she's appeared in everything from Pride and Prejudice as Mrs. Forster to Lark Rise to Candleford) and Jonathan Firth (brother of Colin Firth!) as Prince Albert. However, for a shorter but equally enthralling glimpse at the early years of Victoria's reign, The Young Victoria can't be beat. :)

Emily Blunt gives, I think, one of the best performances of her relatively short career, transitioning easily from the teenage princess to young monarch and bride. Not being too far removed from the actual age Victoria was at the various points depicted in the film probably helped, too. Blunt is by turns spunky, vulnerable, and perfectly regal. Victoria's childhood is really incomprehensible to view, by today's standards or any other, really. Coddled in the extreme and sheltered from all outside influences by her mother the Duchess of Kent (played here by Miranda Richardson) and her mother's confident/probable lover Sir John Conroy (played by the delish Mark Strong *wink*), Victoria was raised in a bubble and it's really quite a testament to her character that she turned out as well as she did IMO. As the only heir of her uncle, William (wonderfully played here by the talented Jim Broadbent), Conroy and her mother made numerous futile attempts to get Victoria to sign papers authorizing a regency should the king die before she comes of age. Thankfully, the young princess withstood the tremendous pressure being brought to bear against her. I've got to say, the role of Conroy is probably the most distasteful bad guys I've seen my beloved Mark Strong play. The man is presented as so utterly amoral, so politically calculating and cold-hearted, the scenes showing his attempts to manipulate Victoria are rather chilling.

Rupert Friend's performance as Prince Albert was probably the surprise of the movie for me. I didn't know the guy had it in him, acting-wise. (Anyone think he's a dead ringer for Orlando Bloom?) He first gained notice in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice where he played Wickham. I have to confess, I placed him in a pretty-face-but-no-substance acting "box," and goodness I was wrong. The man has some serious potential. He and Blunt have terrific on-screen chemistry, which certainly helps and is needed when portraying a classic love story like Victoria & Albert's. This film drove home the point once again what a miracle, really, their love story was considering the restrictions and manuevering that their lives endured. The were pawns in the chess game of European politics, and there's a great little scene in this film that takes place shortly after Victoria and Albert first meet, where he urges her to find a husband who will play the politics game with her. And indeed that's what the pair of them did eventually - joined forces, mastered the rules of the game, and became formidable players in English and European politics.

Besides Mark Strong, another old favorite of mine makes a fantastic appearance in this movie - Paul Bettany does a fantastic job playing Lord Melbourne, Victoria's first prime minister. Melbourne was apparently quite a character, obviously adept at manipulating people in order to see his ends met. It's interesting to see how this works negatively when a young and very loyal Queen Victoria refuses to accept new election results that see Melbourne thrown from power. This leads to the first really tumultuous period of her reign when she falls drastically out of favor with the British people. It's a harsh lesson, and her subsequent marriage to Albert sees his influence helping her learn to better walk a political tightrope. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Albert confronts Melbourne about his rather condescending attitude towards him - not only is it historically interesting, but it's a very well-played moment between Friend and Bettany (the former really holding his own against the latter). This is followed by one of Bettany's strongest scenes in the film, when he admits that Albert could prove to be a valuable ally and partner in Victoria's reign. For a character like Melbourne, such a moment was humbling I'm sure, and Bettany played the scene really, really well.

The Young Victoria is sure to be a lock come Oscar nomination time for costumes and set design. Every little thing about the movie just looks spectacular, it's a positive visual feast for the eyes. Speaking of feasts, the banquet scene early in the film celebrating King William's birthday is an amazing spectacle. The richness and opulence in that scene alone is mind-blowing, even more so when you think of the traditions and discipline and planning that would have gone into such an event. I've also got to give a nod to the gorgeous score by composer Ilan Eshkeri. He's responsible for Stardust, one of my favorite film scores. And while TYV doesn't have quite the unique themes and flourishes appropriate to a fantasy film, it's a beautiful work nonetheless.

This is a movie that definitely leaves you wanting more - more story, more of Victoria and Albert's lives. I love their love story, and this movie more than delivers beautiful, heart-stopping look at the beginning of their legendary love affair. Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend both come out of this movie winners, delivering strong, memorable performances. This is particularly the case for Friend - Albert was, I think, really a Renaissance man, and a man of character and deeply held moral convictions. In many ways he is responsible for the advancements for which the Victorian Age is known. For Friend to be able to portray that in such a compelling way speaks well of his talent and acting future. Oh, this reminds me - another of my favorite moments in the movie is when we get to see Albert ever-so-gently engineering a tentative reconciliation between Victoria and her mother. Really, after the way she's treated by her mother it would be easy to understand if Victoria never wanted to see her again. But this effort on Albert's part, and seeing Victoria and her mother come to terms with each other is quite well done and moving. It was a powerful reminder to me of how much easier it is to hold on to grudges and wrongs, but the strength it can take to just come to terms with the past is another thing entirely.

Two books I highly recommend if you're interested in learning more about Victoria and her family are Victoria's Daughters by Jerrold M. Packard and Queen Victoria by Lytton Strachey. Packard's book is especially interesting because you get a look at how Victoria engineered her children's marriages and gained the moniker "Grandmother of Europe." For someone who so resented being a manipulated "chess piece" in political dealings, she and Albert apparently had no qualms about doing the same thing to their children, sometimes with quite tragic results. It's a fascinating book.

The Young Victoria is a wonderful film, beautifully executed on all levels, and well worth seeing whether you're interested in the history or just in the mood for a great love story. :)