THE TOURIST--2010

Rated: PG-13

Stars: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Steven Berkoff, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Genre: Romantic Thriller

Who could blame one for thinking that The Tourist might be just another vehicle designed to showcase a couple of mega-stars--Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp--and little else? HOWEVAH...I'm happy to report that was not the case! Here is a film with intrigue, romance, gorgeous scenery, (in addition to Ms. Jolie) and a mesmerizing score from James Newton Howard...so what's not to like? (Okay, there's no skin...live with it!)

In the world of intrigue--as in life--there are assumptions, and there is often a reality that blows our assumptions out of the water. Speaking of water... we're in Venice, where the elegant Elise (Angelina Jolie) is being tailed by agents from Interpol who believe she's getting ready to hook up with her lover, the elusive Alexander Pearce, wanted for ripping off a ton of money from the brutal gangster Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff). Previously, when Elise received a note from Pearce instructing her to board a designated train from Paris to Venice and pick out a guy about his build and height to glom onto so as to bamboozle the British agents...there sits the hapless looking Frank Tupelo, (Johnny Depp) a math teacher from Wisconsin, who is immediately taken with Elise...and then taken BY Elise to her fancy hotel suite and...suffice it to say that Frank is now caught up in everything that Elise is caught up in...and WE are caught up in one spellbinding movie!

There are two plot twists in The Tourist that (unless you're Sherlock Holmes) will dispel the major assumptions you've drawn about each of these characters. The one at the end stretches the bounds of believability like the elastic on that one pair of undies you've been wearing now for the last five years. WHO CARES? It's the movies...remember?

Johnny Depp gives what must be the most understated performance of his career, but the reasons for that will fall into place at the end, at which point you'll be able to appreciate it for what it is. (What...you want him to be the swashbuckler every time? Hey--he's run out of eyeliner!)

Jolie, who is about to be inducted into the BIG LIPS AND MOUTH HALL OF FAME (along with Carly Simon, Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, and Lisa Rinna) is elegant, playful, witty, daring, and self-confident as Elise.

The Tourist was a fun ride that I will likely take again--the second time knowing what I know, and watching for subtle hints in facial expressions that may give more away than what I was able to catch onto the first time around.

Grade: B +

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Now showing at home: BROKEN EMBRACES (R)

Stars: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Jose Luis Gomez, Blanca Portillo, Tamar Novas, Ruben Ochandiano

Director: Pedro Almodovar

One morning film maker Mateo Blanco, (Lluis Homar) who lost his sight in an accident and now assumes only his alter-ego's persona of writer Harry Caine, learns that his old acquaintance, industrialist Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez) has died. Blanco's muted reaction belies a world of repressed emotions--a world that he brings to the surface again when he recounts a tale of romance, intrigue, and betrayal to his young assistant, Diego (Tamar Novas).

Broken Embraces, the latest gem from Pedro Almodovar, (Volver, All About My Mother) alternates between flashback and present day mode, and tells the story of Blanco's star-crossed affair with the stunning Lena (Penelope Cruz). An aspiring actress, Lena is the mistress of the much older Martel when she lands a role in Blanco's movie. Martel senses that she may slip away from him, so he offers to produce the film, which gives him an illusory but renewed sense of control.

As Lena's attraction to director Blanco grows, a torrid romance develops, (And TORRID could only describe their bedroom scene together). As we will discover, the cuckolded Martel will resort to nearly any kind of treachery to maintain his tenuous grasp on the fiery beauty.

One subplot involves Martel's gay son, who, under the guise of making a documentary about the filming of the movie, spies upon Lena and provides evidence of her betrayal to his father. Ernesto Jr. (Ruben Ochandiano) also figures in the present day drama of Blanco's life, when he tries (for his own reasons) to enlist the one time noted film maker to create an expose film about his dad.

Also figuring in the rich tapestry plot of Broken Embraces is Blanco's agent and former production assistant, Judit, (Blanca Portillo) who is Diego's mother. She was around when the love triangle was heating up. Keep your eye on her, as she will come out of left field near the end to drop some bombshell revelations that will fill in the blanks about all that transpired back then.

There is much to recommend about Broken Embraces: Intriguing plot, fine acting, Penelope Cruz's bare breasts, and a sound track by Alberto Iglesias that further establishes the mysterious Hitchcock-esque feel of the movie. (If you're too young to be real familiar with Alfred Hitchcock, think Brian De Palma.) Oh, and there are great lines like: "Everything has already happened to me--all that's left is to enjoy life."

In Spanish with subtitles.

GRADE: A