The Tourist

The Tourist is a mystery thriller, starring Jamie Dornan as “The Man” – an Irish man in Australia who is run off the road by a truck in the Outback, and wakes up in a hospital with no recollection of who he is. With the help of police officer Helen (Danielle Macdonald), The Man attempts to piece his identity together, but soon discovers that there is more to his unusual circumstances than meets the eye.

The Tourist is a pretty straightforward mystery piece, with fairly simple character dynamics bolstering the drip-feed of clues and intrigue. The writing can be a little clunky in places, but for the most part it does a good job at establishing characters and plot threads, making for an interesting puzzle of a story that manages to be engaging, if not gripping. 

Strong performances from the show’s cast across the board help to pick up the writing where it falters, and while they can’t salvage every awkward line, they nevertheless succeed at keeping the narrative on track and making sure essential character beats hit when they need to.

The Tourist also makes good use of its setting, effectively utilising the visuals of the barren Australian outback to communicate The Man’s feelings of isolation and creating a strong sense of tension throughout. The limited palette and worn-down aesthetic give the show a distinctive visual identity, which helps to make it feel more cohesive and appealing as a whole.

Overall, The Tourist is a decent little thriller series, not breaking any particularly new ground but accomplishing what it set out to do effectively and making for a good time. It’s unlikely to set anyone’s world on fire but could definitely make for a compelling enough excursion for anyone in need of a dose of action to kick off the new year.

Umar Ali

The Tourist is released on BBC One on 1^st January 2022.

Watch the trailer for The Tourist here: