Pure Old-Fashioned Hollywood Fantasy Like the Grant-Hepburn-Kelly films of the 1950's and 1960's
Elise (Angelina Jolie) lives in Paris, where she has been "watched" for over a year. Scotland Yard, you see, under the direction of Inspectors Acheson (Paul Bettany) and Jones (Timothy Dalton), want money owed to the British government, by Elise's boyfriend, Alexander. They are convinced that eventually he will return to his beautiful flame. One day, it appears they are correct. At a cafe, Elise receives a note, which she promptly burns, leaving it on a plate while she heads to the train station. Amazingly, from the charred fragments, the Yard, using advanced tech, reconstructs the message. They all hop a train to Lyon and, from there, to Venice. But, Elise, sensing her trackers, makes friends with an American math teacher, Frank (Johnny Depp), who is likewise on a journey to Venice. Because they have no photo of Alexander, only a general description, the Yard assumes this is their man.
Angelina Jolie admitted in an interview with Vogue Magazine that the only reason she agreed to do this movie was because she knew it would be a "quick shoot" in Venice, Italy.
As one critic said, it's a frothy diversion, pleasant and fun. Thought the rumpled Depp was low-key and charming, and Jolie was gorgeous and a sympathetic character. There are some amusing twists, and our fairly full theater laughed a lot and was entertained by the film; at no point did any of us lose interest. There are far worse ways to spend a Friday night, and I'd recommend to anyone looking for some diversion and gorgeous views of Venice. Good for anyone looking to unwind after a long hard week.
Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany
