The Tourist – Series Review (4/5)

THE TOURIST on Netflix / HBO Max is a new series starring Jamie Dornan and co-produced with BBC. It’s a truly wild ride of a mystery thriller. Full of twists and turns and the most quirky characters at every turn. Read our full The Tourist series review here!

THE TOURIST is a new HBO Max limited series that was co-produced with BBC. In fact, the series originally premiered in the UK on January 1, 2022. Jamie Dornan is the absolute star of this story in the title role.

ALSO READ

Our review of The Tourist Season 2 >

The actual storyline plays out in Australia and you’ll meet the most amazing and quirky characters. From the beginning of this story, you’ll both be laughing and feeling the terror that the main character is experiencing. It’s a truly wild ride of a mystery thriller.

Continue reading our The Tourist series review below and find all six episodes on HBO Max now. On February 1, 2024, it is also available on Netflix in the US.

Jamie Dornan is The Tourist

When you look at the casting, you’ll see that Jamie Dornan (The Fall series, Synchronic) plays “The Man”. This is obviously due to the fact that the core plot is all about him losing all his memories after a car crash. Or rather, he is forced off the road by a truck in the middle of the Australian outback.

When he wakes up in the hospital, he has no ID or phone to help him figure out who he is. However, since Jamie Dornan was born in Belfast and uses his real accent in The Tourist, it’s clear that he isn’t an Aussie. So far, so good.

The series has six episodes and by the end of episode two, you’ll hear his name. However, you should (and will) continue to doubt all the information you come across. Just like “The Man” is ultimately forced to. It seems impossible to truly trust many. If anyone!

Danielle Macdonald shines!

Along with Jamie Dornan as “The Man” (or simply, “The Tourist”), there is another actor carrying the main elements of the plot in this series. It’s the mesmerizing and heartwarming Danielle Macdonald who plays Helen Chambers. A traffic cop who is in training to become a detective.

Danielle Macdonald is absolutely magical in The Tourist. Every single scene with her just made me either smile or get teary-eyed. From the first time we see her and she’s fumbling and quite insecure, she won me over.

You might recognize Danielle Macdonald from the Netflix movie Dumplin’ (2018) where she played the title role. Also, she was in the Netflix horror movie Bird Box (2018) which became a worldwide mega-hit

MORE DANIELLE MACDONALD

She also played a key role in the amazing Netflix series Unbelievable based on a true story >

Overall, the HBO Max series The Tourist really is chockful of the most quirky, enigmatic characters at every turn. Often portrayed by actors you’ll recognize such as Damon Herriman. He portrayed Charles Manson in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Also, the Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Cursed), who is as big as a house. He is perfect as an American cowboy type. Shalom Brune-Franklin (Roadkill series) plays a very important role in “The Man” figuring out more about his identity. Well, maybe. You’ll see!

Watch The Tourist on HBO Max now – on Netflix later!

The Tourist was written by Harry Williams and Jack Williams. The two previously worked on various TV series as both writers and producers. They created the BBC crime-thriller series Liar (2017-2020) and produced a series such as Fleabag. A series that certainly also excels at having quirky characters.

The six episodes in this limited series are divided by two directors. These directors are Chris Sweeney (Back to Life series on Showtime) and Daniel Nettheim (Broadchurch, Ash vs Evil Dead). They each directed three episodes of this BBC and HBO Max series.

If you enjoy a good mystery full of twists, turns, and very entertaining characters, then you do not want to miss out on The Tourist on HBO Max. It’s a real treat and a genre-hybrid in all the best ways.

The Tourist is out on HBO Max from March 3, 2022. From February 1, 2024, season 1 will be added to Netflix in the US, and season 2 will come to Netflix on February 29.

Details

Writers: Harry Williams & Jack Williams
Directors: Chris Sweeney, Daniel Nettheim
Cast: Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Damon Herriman, Alex Dimitriades, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Kamil Ellis