Blu-ray Review: 'The Tourist'

"The Tourist," a remake of the 2005 French film "Anthony Zimmer," offers two sets of Blu-ray releases, one that features a standard single Blu-ray disc and another that features a 50GB Blu-ray and DVD disc combo with a digital copy of the film. Directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, this international action thriller explores the encounter of a mild-mannered American vacationing in Venice and a breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious woman traveling around the city as well. Soon, their playful romance turns into a dangerous chase against the Interpol, the Italian police, and some Russian hit men.

This Sony Pictures release has a running time of 103 minutes and it showcases A-listers Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in the lead roles. The story places much attention to them as the tangled duo. They primarily carry the film's command, appeal, mystery, and realism.

Visuals

The captured physicality of "The Tourist" is its strongest point. As a movie primarily set in Venice with a number of scenes in Paris as well, capturing these romantic locales in high-definition (HD) format is nothing short of breathtaking. The picturesque backdrops practically immerses the viewers with amazing sceneries, as if they are actually strolling along the Grand Canal and seeing the ripples of the waters and the surrounding architecture all striking, crisp, and nicely saturated.

Visually, the film is a treat for the eye with its spot on color palette and solid black and white levels. The shadow and highlight details are extensively used to play around the many scenes to show both the picture-perfect structures around the city, while also revealing every nuance and imperfections that make the many architectural structures looking real and hearty. From the exterior shots of Venetian homes and the complementing bluish-black waters beneath them to their elegant and distinctly clear-cut interiors, the colors tend to effectively communicate the historical and cultural romance of its European setting.

With the romance and examination elements exchanging well for the film's combined sensual and procedural treatment, viewers can enjoy a gorgeous Blu-ray transfer that oozes with excellent details, opulent texture, and ornate costuming. The blues and reds are quite potent throughout the picture especially with Jolie's trademark lips. The lush amber glow offers a romanticized look and feel, while the confident contrast and depth of field further highlight the elaborate the film's post card locations.

The Blu-ray is meticulously clean and free from any banding, annoyingly overexposed highlights, poorly detailed blacks and other technical and creative issues on the visuals. There is a small layer of film grain that adds to the cinematic look. There is apparent softness to certain shots, but the love for the locales and the lead performers on screen makes up for such minor visual concerns.

Audio

For this Blu-ray offer, viewers have audio language options in English and French. Much of the film's sound focuses on the dialogue, but there are a few opportunities for action-filled moments where some blasts and bullets work their ways around the rear speakers. For the most part, the mellow soundtrack presents a discreet multi-channel audio where scenes feature the movement of the water and the tension of the rope finding their ways as distinct sound elements in the mix.

The lossless audio presentation exudes a quite laid back sound design with conservative, but well-rendered background ambience. There is a reserved, airy, and a more circular feel to the soundtrack. The film's subtle atmospherics generates an engaging soundscape well suiting the story's treatment.

Special Features

With a combined running time over 30 minutes, the Blu-ray featurettes including "Action in Venice," "Canal Chats," "Tourist Destination: Travel the Canals of Venice," "A Gala Affair," "Bringing Glamour Back," "Alternate Animated Title Sequence," and "Outtake Reel" tend to make up for the lackluster feature. The disc also sports a very informative director's commentary and subtitles in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish. Trailers showcased in the Blu-ray include "Soul Surfer," "How Do You Know," "Inside Job," and "Country Strong." The disc is BD Live-enabled with Sony MovieIQ technology, Sony's Internet-connected movie-viewing mode that provides access to the latest inside information about the movie.

Final Thoughts

Overall, "The Tourist" fails to provide much entertainment value more than the technical appeal of its sound, art direction, and cinematography. The charm of Jolie and Depp is a given for the film's needed commercial boost, but the storytelling doesn't really live up to expectations. In any case, the bonus features can be interesting to watch. Meanwhile, having to play the movie over and over again can be quite a drag, except if merely intending to savor the sights of the many picturesque European locations finely captured on film.