The Tourist

A woman named Elise (Angelina Jolie) is being followed by French police working with Scotland Yard. At a cafe, she receives a letter from Alexander Pearce, a lover Elise, with explicit directions to board a train to Venice, Italy, pick out a man, and let the police believe that he is Pearce. Then Elise burns the note. A mysterious stranger, not involved with the police, also seems to be watching Elise.

She takes a seat across from Frank (Johnny Depp), an American tourist reading a novel. Frank is attracted to her. The train arrives in Venice, and she invites him to go with her on a boat to the Hotel Danieli. At dinner, Elise admits to having feelings for another man. Later, on her room's balcony they share a kiss, witnessed by the men following her.

The next day, Frank awakens to find Elise gone. Men suddenly try to break into the hotel room. Frank barely escapes by running over several, but is caught by the Italian police. A sympathetic detective listens to Frank's story that he does not know why these men want to catch him.

Elise suddenly appears with a boat to rescue Frank, and they flee together. Elise finally tells Frank that all this is happening because she kissed him and made the police believe that he was Alexander Pearce. Frank learns that Pearce stole two billion dollars from a gangster named Shaw (Steven Berkoff) and is also wanted by the British Government. Frank says he still does not regret kissing Elise.

Elise apologizes for getting him involved at all and tricks Frank off the boat. Frank says he loves her. Elise goes to a government building. She turns out to be a British secret agent. She sees her fellow British agent Acheson (Paul Bettany), who was among those following her in Paris. Elise was supposed to work undercover against Pearce but fell in love with him and had disappeared from her job until now. She tells Acheson that she is ready to help him find Pearce now because she wants to prevent anybody else from getting hurt.

Elise goes to a ball Pearce has invited her to attend, wearing a wire. She is handed a letter by the same mysterious stranger from Paris. The letter is from Alexander Pearce, saying where to meet him.Elise turns to leave; Frank appears and prevents her exit. They dance. Elise leaves to find Pearce. The gangster threatens to kill her unless she reveals the location of the safe holding the money Pearce stole from him.

Elise reveals the safe's location but does not know its code. Frank watches in horror as Elise is threatened yet again. Seeing that Acheson won't help Elise, Frank picks the lock to his handcuffs and escapes to help her. Frank pretends to be Pearce. Elise begs him to stop or he will be killed. Frank, acting as Pearce, tells Shaw that he will get his money, but only if Elise is first released and safe. As Frank pretends that he is about to open the safe, Elise mouths "I love you."

All of a sudden, Chief Inspector Jones (Timothy Dalton) gives the order for the police snipers to shoot Shaw and his men. Frank and Elise are unharmed. As the police survey the scene, agent Acheson can't believe that Pearce did not save Elise, and Jones is furious with him for exposing her to danger. Jones then informs Elise that she has been terminated from the force. A police report informs them that Pearce has just been caught.