The Tourist is a 2010 American romantic thriller film co-written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, and Timothy Dalton.

[5] A British woman, Elise Clifton-Ward, is being followed through downtown Paris by French police who are working with Scotland Yard under the direction of Inspector John Acheson.

Acheson has spent years hunting Alexander Pearce, Elise's lover, who owes £744 million in back taxes, and is believed to have used plastic surgery to alter his appearance.

While the police are distracted monitoring the situation, Frank escapes and confronts Shaw, claiming to be Pearce and offering to open the safe if Elise is allowed to leave.

Chief Inspector Jones arrives at the police stake-out, overrides Acheson, and orders the snipers to fire, killing Shaw and his men.

After Hallström left, allegedly over scheduling conflicts, Bharat Nalluri came on board, and then Tom Cruise was announced to play the male lead, though he was later replaced by Sam Worthington.

When Angelina Jolie accepted her role, so did director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, but he, along with Worthington subsequently left, citing "creative differences".

French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand visited Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck on set when The Tourist was filming in Place Colette.

In the DVD director's commentary, Henckel von Donnersmarck recounts that the film's one action sequence was devised by Crane to allow for the speed limitations imposed on boats in Venice.

This speed limit was strictly enforced by the Venetian authorities, and there was a policeman on set at all times to make sure no wave movement caused the pillars on which the palazzi are built to be exposed to oxygen.

The reason post-production had to happen so quickly was because all commercially interesting release dates in 2011 were reserved for the potential start of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

First-credited screenwriter and director Donnersmarck has talked of his childhood obsession with the Russian writer,[11][12] and the Dostoyevskian theme of corrupt police and government resonates throughout the film.

The site's critical consensus reads: "The scenery and the stars are undeniably beautiful, but they can't make up for The Tourist's slow, muddled plot, or the lack of chemistry between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

[17] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying "There's a way to make a movie like The Tourist, but Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck doesn't find that way.

[23] Casey Burchby of DVD Talk acknowledged that the movie was "beautifully shot by the accomplished Oscar-winner John Seale," but said that the "hastily-prepared film does not care one iota about its characters.