A fun if far-fetched Australian outback adventure as The Man (Jamie Dornan) wakes up in hospital without a clue as to who he is. But we have already witnessed the cat and mouse chase with a truck that caused the accident, an accident that was intended to leave him for dead. Something is obviously not quite right. But as far as trainee police constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) is concerned, she just needs to help Dornan find his identity. Juxtaposed is her own self-discovery of self worth as she struggles with weight loss and a condescending partner (Greg Larsen).
What unfolds over this six part miniseries is a wry, entertaining mismatch of characters, unexpected (for The Man) revelations, intrigue, police corruption and murder as Dornan tries to discover his identity – and why someone is out to kill him. His past will eventually catch up with him, no question. The phone calls he receives from a man buried underground testify to that. And then there’s Luci (Shalom Brune-Franklin), a waitress in a local cafe who, wholly out of place in such a backdrop, knows more than she’s letting on.
A black comedy with a high level of understated absurdity makes The Tourist an engaging, self-assured deflection with Dornan unexpectedly vulnerable and charismatic.
Rating: 66%
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