MovieChat Forums > The Tourist (2010) Discussion > So at what point did you know? SPOILERS

So at what point did you know? SPOILERS

posted 14 years ago by clearz2
78 replies | jump to latest

I diddn't know anything about this movie before seeing it so I wasn't looking for a twist but some some things caught my attention.

1) When the tourist first gets attacked in the hotel bedroom the morning after the kiss he scales across some roof tops and balconies without any hesitation. While this diddn't give it away to me I thought it to be a bit strange for a teacher.

2) When the crime boss kingpin strangles one of his men, I got the feeling that it was pretty cliché and to not expect much in the way of intelligence form the movie.

3) I only guessed it was him when he excaped from the police at the end and the head police guy kept saying he will turn up.

So when did you guess it was him?

[–] me-923-953239 14 years ago

From my review:

"...the su*B*tle (read obvious) transformation of Depp's
character of Frank into Alex precisely when he's walking in the white
tux smoking a real cigarette into the invite only Ball (was 'I'm a jealous husband' seriously the best excuse he could come up with?)..."

That scene was when I remembered that Jolie and Depp are the only two 'title' characters of the movie, and realised that this far in there was no chance of a last minute 'surprise' character being revealed at the end.

[–] jon_lajoie 14 years ago

That scene was when I remembered that Jolie and Depp are the only two 'title' characters of the movie, and realised that this far in there was no chance of a last minute 'surprise' character being revealed at the end.

What about the Interpol guy who let Reginald know Alex was back?

I...drink...your...MILKSHAKE!

I DRINK IT UP!!!

[–] me-923-953239 14 years ago

You mean the bureaucrat not doing his job properly? He asked (through a prodding statement) the profiler if that was Alex, but the profiler didn't tell him that it *wasn't* Alex, so he just ran with the assumption that it was him to make himself useful to his boss. He certainly wasn't high enough in the chain to be clued into the fact that the case was suspended.

[–] Falcon90 14 years ago

I saw this thread title before I saw the movie and pretty much when she received the first letter, it became blindly obvious - I know, I should've stayed off this board but oh well

Having said that, I knew there a twist in Shutter Island but I couldn't for the life in me work it out until it was revealed!

[–] shirlz-chester 14 years ago

Not until Elise realised! Jeez I am slow..

Life's like a cow, milk it for all it's worth.

[–] carolynmorton70 14 years ago

I knew when I watched "Anthony Zimmer"--the French film upon which this film is based! LOL

[–] BlushBottle 14 years ago

When she met him in the train.

"Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege."

[–] ronelson 14 years ago

Know? Not until the end. I thought so early, but then he got nabbed by the police. Fingerprints would have given him away, and as far as I know, no surgery can change your fingerprints. Therefore, it had to NOT be him. Unfortunately, I was trying to apply real-world logic to movie-world logic...

[–] moonwalkernow 14 years ago

When they were in the hotel and he diverted her attention to the flowers. It just made me think he wants her to see them and the invite to the ball. That's when that thought entered my head, and I couldn't wait for confirmation so I went to wikipedia and 'spoilt' (in the loosest sense of the word) it for myself.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=21084846

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] eonaxes 14 years ago

i suspected it very early. It was so obvious there would be a big plot twist and all signs pointed to the tourist really being Alexander.

[–] cmargerum 14 years ago

Well I knew it all along having been familiar with the story; but within the movie itself, I think he gave himself away to the audience during the boat chase scene. He was a little too quick-witted and decisive for a math teacher.

[–] Rick-34 14 years ago

As a math teacher, I'm going to take exception to that remark! :)

[–] leesilm 9 years ago

My best friend and I were watching, she figured out it out when Elise gets the note then walks past Rufus Sewell's character. She told me, when the movie was over, that she had thought R.S. was a friend of Pierce's meant to make sure Elise got the note and made it to the train. I figured out Frank was Pierce when he's leaving the train car and stops at the door to watch Elise. A man who just met someone like her might look back a little confused or maybe look back as if considering going back and talking to her just a little while longer before changing his mind. Frank was looking at her the way you look at someone you haven't seen in years and you aren't sure how they'll take knowing your back in town, so your allowing yourself that moment to just observe them and delaying the possible bad-ending you suspect is coming. There was a longing and guilt in his eyes, it wouldn't be there in a stranger's eyes.

"There is still hope." - Arwen

[–] nielw 13 years ago

I didn't know until the very end. Johnny played the dimwitted math teacher to such perfection, that I think HE didn't even know he was supposed to be Alexander Pearce until the moment they shot that part of the script. There's a lot of dumb stuff that he does (even when alone) that made it feel like he was trying to fool the audience, even when there was no one else around to fool. It feels like the "twist" ending was just tacked on, regardless of what happened up to that point in the movie.

[–] cmargerum 13 years ago

That is why he is considered such a good actor. He has said that the twist in the script is what attracted him to he role. This was based on an earlier European movie with the same premise so the twist was always in the script.

[–] The_Matrixfan 14 years ago

I knew the moment he uttered a "sorry" when she sat down. I know it was meant as a "can I help you" but the use of the word just gave it away right there.

Half life wastes before it goes- Sneaker Pimps

[–] filmfan86 14 years ago

I'm pleased to say I had no idea - I was pretty happy with all the twists and turns and really liked the film. I'd been having a pretty crappy start to the new year and so thought i'd go see a movie - i left in such a good mood - very pleasently suprised by this movie. :-)

Do you have monkeys in Scotland?
~No, but if we did we'd probably deep fry them!

[–] Leiarie 9 years ago

I didn't know until the end, either. The whole movie I felt so bad for Frank having met this crazy woman. What a ruined vacation!

[–] sying 14 years ago

"Know" is a pretty strong word, I think. I can say I knew it from the preview and moreso from the first letter because, at that point, I had a pretty good idea and my pretty good ideas usually pan out. I knew it as much as anybody could without confirmation. By the end of the film I hoped for it to be true more than I knew it to be true, really. It was the only way it could end happy for everyone.