The Tourist

This looked good and once Ólafur Darri Ólafsson entered the scene, I remembered that I'd seen this before. Add in Danielle Macdonald (the trainee constable) and Damon Herriman, you know it's going to be one hell of a good show!

The scenery is, at times spectacular. And others, down and gritty. Kinda like the story itself.

The story is filled with twists and turns as you learn a bit more about who - and what - the tourist really is, so don't take a break without putting it on pause.

I'm glad Netflix put this on "rerun". I've actually run out of things to view and this is refreshing and actually smart. What a change from the usual stuff that's out there now.

Give it a whirl - and you'll be up at 4 AM too if you binge it too late in the day.

A man (Jamie Dornan) is run off the road by a tanker truck in the Australian outback. He wakes up in the hospital with full blown amnesia. He doesn't even know his name. New cop Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) doggedly investigates.

Jamie Dornan may be the big name of this series, but it's Danielle Macdonald that I find more compelling. She has a great sweetness to her acting. She's basically the cop in Fargo except not pregnant. This show does try to do some comedy mostly through characters like Ethan. It is not my favorite aspect of the show. This lasted two seasons with specific stories for each.

Series 1 is absolutely brilliant and expect the unexpected. Really well thought of and tight plot. Series 2 is the opposite and a great disappointment. The annoying character from series 1 is 100x more annoying and the main ones seems to have lost their true identity (pun intended) and their wit. They do things they would never have done in series 1 and it gets frustrating at some point. Helen is definitely not the same character as in the first series, she's annoying and disregards the Irish community and behaves as if she is still in outback Australia and all places are her playground and going rogue on her own.

"The Tourist" has a very "Fargo" feel to it, set in the vast open fields of Australia which makes it the more fascinating. Starting out with action and a mystery, this short series has enough eclectic elements to keep you captivated. First, there is a mysterious guy, followed by a very sympathetic "cop," delightfully played by Danielle Macdonald. This actress is the biggest revelation here. Danielle portrays the character with so much heart that every scene with her character Helen just shines. More quirky characters are introduced, notably the American cowboy played by an Icelandic actor, the detective, and the cop trainee. The plot does get convoluted but loose ends are still tightened up so you don't lose your grip. The cinematography, camera work, and editing do justice to the sweeping Australian Outback beauty. Best of all, there is some snide dark humor that's quite enjoyable from characters that you least expect to be funny in real life.

Everyone's giving Danielle Macdonald rave reviews, which she deserves, playing with a sweet naivety. But, to me, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson steals every scene he's in. He's low key, ominous and creepy at the same time.

I can't say that that this series is great, but it's worth the time devoted to the series and it keeps you interested through the series set. Not all series are worth the investment, but this one is. A man get amnesia and people are trying to kill him and he does not know why. The audience learns who he is in real time with him. It's a collage of a few different movies, but it's well done.