From Paris with Love

Film Review: FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (2010)

RATING 7/10

BOTTOM LINE: The action is well crafted and exciting to watch, but “From Paris With Love” is a miss thanks to a silly first half that is made up somewhat by a far more solid second half.

THE GOOD: Director Pierre Morel proved his action chops more than adequately in his hit film “Taken”, and in many respects, he delivers yet again with some fast and frenetic action in this action tale of two government agents taking out a group of terrorists one at a time before they can commit their diabolical plot. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays James Reece, a would-be agent who is trying to work his way up to more substantial work. He gets his wish when he has to pick up Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a seemingly loose cannon who proves to be unstoppable whenever terrorists appear on the scene. Travolta is clearly having fun with his character, with Wax having numerous funny lines while simultaneously engaging in some sensational action sequences while Meyers for the most part can only look on in amazement. The second half of the film brings some much needed tension to the piece, as the enemy turns out to be too close to home for Reece, but he finds it within him to do what needs to be done. “From Paris With Love” is a solid action film, that really delivers in the second half.

THE BAD: Whether intentionally or not, the film seems quite deliberately set up to start in one genre and end in another. The first half of the film is where the proceedings suffer the most. Travolta over-acts his way through most of it, and the film seems more like a spoof buddy comedy rather than something to take seriously. That would be okay if it kept going that way , but when the film changes mid-way through and becomes about stopping suicide bombers, the film becomes much darker and more serious which does not gel with how the film started. For my take, I thought they should have stuck with the more serious option as the second half of the film does grab and hold you quite well; it’s a shame that the first half was so silly.

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

From Paris With Love

If I say that From Paris With Love was directed by Pierre Morel - the man behind 2008 crime thriller Taken, whose career started as a cinematographer on Luc Besson's The Transporter - then it should give you some idea of what to expect.

This was never destined to be the smartest film at your multiplex, but Morel certainly knows his way around an action scene or two. His directorial debut, District 13, was a high-octane rollercoaster ride that almost beat Besson at his own game, and while Taken felt disappointingly light in places, it still managed to turn Liam Neeson into the decade's oldest action hero.

From Paris With Love brings us more of the same. There's the same heavy emphasis on action over content, the same frenetic pace, the same wise-cracking and over-the-top characterization. All in all, it's about as subtle as a bullet in the gut.

It's just as well, then, that Morel opted to cast John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the lead roles, two actors who are more than able to turn the hammiest scripts into something resembling high drama. You know that neither will be approaching their performance with any kind of subtlety, but somehow you can't take your eyes off this eccentric pantomime.

Rhys Meyers is James Reese, a personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in Paris. Reese also does some minor work for the CIA on the side, and after a string of barely-successful ops he starts pushing for a more meaty assignment.

He soon gets what he's asked for - and more - when he's assigned to assist visiting special agent Charlie Wax (Travolta) in the search for an underground cocaine ring and a hidden terrorist cell. Along the way they bicker, shoot things, and generally do their best to blow up half of Paris. It could almost be a sharp satire on the subtlety of American intervention overseas.

The script is trivial nonsense that barely stands up to the scantest of scrutinies, but Morel takes his rather crude ball and runs with it. From Paris With Love won't be winning any awards, but it does at least manage to keep us laughing and engaged until the final scenes - and that's more than some action movies have managed lately. That it does so by playing everything loud and fast in no way undermines the effect.

Travolta is close to his entertaining best too, while Rhys Meyers makes you wish that we'd seen more of him on the big screen in recent years. Travolta has already indicated that he'd be happy to make a sequel, so who knows, maybe this is destined to be the new brainless, high-octane action franchise for the young decade. Expect From Aberystwyth With Love to be playing at a screen near you by the summer of 2020.

3/5

(Read Less...)

From Paris with Love

From Paris with Love - Directed by Pierre Morel, starring John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Kasia Smutniak - Rated R

This one took me by surprise. I went into the theater expecting a decent, forgettable action movie. I ended up seeing a very entertaining film that I will definitely watch again when it comes to DVD/Blu-ray. From Paris with Love is about a fledgling spy, Reece, (Rhys Meyers) who partners up with Charlie Wax (Travolta), the craziest spy in American history. This is one of those movies that let's Travolta go crazy. Now, you either embrace a Travolta performance like this, or you despise it. I happen to embrace the crazier performances of Travolta, so I loved every ridiculous line of dialogue. Rhys Meyers, on the other hand, does a good job of looking flustered, but can't stand up next to Travolta (and he really shouldn't play an American until he figures out an accent). So Travolta is crazy and once he's introduced the movie never slows down. You get extended action scenes that feature Travolta laying waste to enemies while Rhys Meyes follows along with a cocaine-filled vase (which turns out to be a really funny element). Then there's Travolta taking out an entire terrorist filled apartment. And eventually you get Travolta hanging out of a car window with a rocket launcher...while talking on a cell phone. It is completely ridiculous and I loved every minute of it. The storyline turned out to be surprisingly satisfying as well. It's not ground breaking, but just when I was wondering what the point of an early scene was, I had an answer. But I can't strees enough: If you like Travolta, check it out; if you have a problem with his over the top performances, then skip it.

Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Booze Revooze: A Drinker’s Skewed View of FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

Ramblings: Oui Oui Oui, All The Way Home

Final Proof: 2½ Shots

You know how you get drunk in a cheap French restaurant? The chef has a rep and the waiters are cool so you drink your wine and sit back, ready for a good time. ‘Cept it doesn’t come, ’cause when the food does its French cuisine trying to be American food and it fails to please no matter what nationality it’s supposed to be, just leftovers reheated in the microwave that are cold in the middle and bland so you reach for the bottle but the wine is watered down and tepid so, sure, you catch a little buzz from time to time ’cause it is wine after all but mostly you just want someone to bring you the check so you can go home and get drunk on scotch while you watch Betty Blue. From Paris With Love is kinda like that.

Luc Besson, who directed a crap load of French films in English (like The Professional with Jean Reno, which was also Nathalie Portman’s first major film) was investigated for involuntary manslaughter after a stuntman died filming Taxi 2, a movie Luc wrote and produced. i’m just saying Luc likes action and i see where he was trying to go with this movie.

He was looking for a quirky action film but he bailed after giving the story to some other guy to write the screenplay and then a completely other dude to direct. Maybe if Luc had stayed onboard, he wouldnt’a had to go down with the ship.

John Travolta has a good time with his character but the ‘crazy CIA agent’ is as original as a movie poster about Paris with the Eiffel Tower in it. Then we got Johnathan Rhys Meyers who struggles to act with an American accent and i kept wondering why they just didn’t get an American to do the freaking role, unless it’s sick revenge for Tom Cruise’s Irish accent in Far And Away.

The movie flows quickly enough and there’s a lot of action, just not anything new or interesting or fun. Next time, hopefully Besson will follow through instead of just passing off.

Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)

Sex: 2 Shots

i’m thinking that i shouldn’t go over two sots for any movie that has no nudity, swear to god.

Anyway, Kasia Smutniak (which i believe is Polish for “I’m so much hotter than you there’s no way you’ll get any smut off of me”) is in this. She’s this Polish top model who lives in Italy now.

Kasia Smutniak (30):






As for the Silken Butterfly, the same one flitted across this screen as Agora: the stunning Amber Rose Revah. In FPWL,  she plays a dinner guest, Nichole, and we even get to hear her speak a line! She’s got this English accent as smooth as a pure malt whiskey that makes you gasp before it settles in your heart and gets you a little drunk.
For those who prefer Eiffel Towers to nice buttes, i got  some John Travolta (56) for you.




And here’s some Johnathan Rhys Meyers (32):

Drink: 1 Shot

• [James] drinks wine at home
• Caroline serves wine at dinner
• 2 bottles of wine at dinner [party]

Rock & Roll: 3 Shots

While i was a little let down by the absence of real rock songs (other than the pop rock we get at the credits, which i posted above), the soundtrack background was hard enough at moments. Still, most of the 3 shots i’m giving this bad boy are because the action was pretty constant, so the R&R attitude of the movie was there, even if it looked like remakes.

Boring Technical Crap

Written by:

Luc Besson (story)

Adi Hasak (screenplay)

Directed by: Pierre Morel

Starring

Kasia Smutniak – Caroline

Amber Rose Revah – Nichole

John Travolta – Charlie Wax

Johnathan Rhys Meyers – James Reece

Bottom Line

Wait for it to come to TV.

(Read Less...)

Al K Hall<br />
Functional Alcoholic Slurperson<br />
(No, REALLY. Google &amp;quot;Slurperson&amp;quot; if you don't believe me.)

Last updated: 2010-03-31 15:28:34 by user08

America's "Love Letter" to Europe

Arabs of the world, beware: Travolta's coming to make ya dead!

While it was somewhat refreshing to see John Travolta in a role unlike any other of his previous parts, it is questionable whether that factor weighs in sufficiently in order to let the final analysis and experience of watching this movie be a pleasant one.

Of course, it's all a matter of taste, and if you liked "Rambo," you'll probably also like this one.

Being a European, though, the political statement of the typical "American hero" marching onto foreign territory in order to "make'em all dead" is not as much a slap in the face as a sad joke and testimony of the level to which modern entertainment has sunk.
The message is clearly, "Let's kill all the terrorists," and "Arabs are our enemies!" "If you can kill one Muslim per hour, that's cool, and you're doing the cause of our wonderful New World Order great service! - Oh, and by the way, never trust anyone! Especially not your European girl friend! - They could all be in with the terrorists!"

Folks who are familiar with the odds that the official version of "9/11" has any more resemblance to reality than "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Snowwhite," can, of course, tend to be a little appalled by such a message, and more so by the naivete of the majority of our fellow citizens who swallow that stuff by the barrels and without question. After all, something's gotta keep those boys killing handcuffed children in Afghanistan motivated, and if there's no justification for their actions in the real world, why, folks like John Travolta will provide all the necessary motivation one needs (perhaps in combination with a little of that popular white powder he openly advertizes in the film)...

So, in the light of the statement and message of the film, which is so lousy that I couldn't even do the subject justice, I'm not quite sure whether it's a positive that some of the acting in the film was actually quite well done. Although it's beyond me how grown up individuals can put their all into conveying a message like that to our world (a message very unlikely to contribute to making it a better place), we have seen worse, and less entertaning movies before.

If you believe in the "American Hero," then here's another one for you. - If you value any touch of reality to some remote degree in your entertainment life, however, you're better off watching a round of Disney cartoons.

Recommendations: The Matrix , Fratello sole, sorella luna , The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John

There IS no spoon!

Last updated: 2010-03-09 02:31:22 by McDozer

Review : From Paris With Love

Rating: Barely kudos.

John Travolta is action royalty in “From Paris With Love” while Jonathan Rhys-Meyers feels weak and at times… cheesy? Perhaps the film would be better if they called it, “Royale With Cheese.”

I know I’m stretching with that one, but it is true. Travolta gives a top-notch performance in this film. Appropriately over-the-top and always with a profane remark, Travolta plays his most exciting action character since he switched roles with Nicolas Cage in “Face/Off.”

He plays outrageous secret agent Charlie Wax, womanizer and fast-talker while at the same time possibly legally insane. And the United States government hire him to kill people. His new partner Reece is getting married soon, as long as he can stay alive long enough to finish the mission with Wax.

The mission… in all honesty I sat through all 92 minutes of that film and I’m not really sure what the mission was. Something to do with cocaine, bad-guy Pakistanis, terrorists and a plot to assassinate an American delegate. It all moves very fast, and I think writer Luc Besson (“Leon: The Professional,” “The Transporter”) didn’t really want the audience to have all the details. Travolta’s Wax character hurdles and charges through the film with such crazed determination that he never really stops to give us all the facts. So not only is Reece clueless the whole time, we are too. This may be a good thing, but I’m thinking it was a way to use Travolta to distract us from the poorly thought out plot.

Reece is played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers who was good in “Bend it Like Beckham” and decent in “Match Point.” In this film, he plays the boring straight man to Travolta’s loose cannon. In a buddy film, we have to like both “buddies” in order for the film to be good. Reece is quite dull with no personality, and Rhys-Meyers’ chemistry with Travolta can’t carry the film the whole way. There is a terribly-delivered monologue by Reece at the end that’s too emotional and trite. I think this due to bad writing, but any capable actor could’ve pulled it off. Rhys-Meyers does not.

The action sequences in the film are mostly well done. There are some that get a little preposterous, but hey, who doesn’t want to see a bald John Travolta storming into a room with two machine guns blazing? If that’s why you want to see the movie, then you shouldn’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for a half-way decent plot, good acting and a solid screenplay, look someplace else.

(Read Less...)

from paris with love

after watching a couple of deep, involved, emotional films nominated for oscars: today i sat and watched a couple of mindless popcorn flicks.  and that’s exactly what from paris with love is.  a mindless shoot ‘em up starring john travolta and jonathan rhys meyers as some kind of super spy field agents.  rhys meyers as the new guy and john travolta as the loose cannon pro who essentially blast his way through paris tracking down the bad guys.  he racks up quite the body count as well.  we see him waste about 50 bad guys in the hour and half this film plays.

so if you like shoot ‘em ups with some witty dialog, then this is your flick.  and there’s some sexy french girls to look at too.  it’s worth seeing if you like this kind of movie and if you like john travolta.  because he’s pretty good.  and rhys meyers plays a pretty good sidekick.  it’s a fun movie.  and you won’t have to worry about thinking too hard.

two dead foreign terrorist out of five.

Cal Reed

From Paris With Love (2010)

Directed By: Pierre Morel

Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Melissa Mars

What It’s All About:

James Reece is an aspiring CIA agent working as the personal aide to the U.S Ambassador in France. While his initial involvement with the CIA had left more to be desired, he is soon assigned to a case with a new partner, Special Agent Charlie Wax (Travolta). Wax is balls to the wall, trigger happy, wisecracking loose cannon who’s been sent to Paris to investigate a drug ring. Together they take on a terrorist sect and learn that no one can be trusted.

The Final Verdict:

Action packed, balls to the wall and genuinely funny, From Paris With Love achieves something that cinema has been missing for a few years now, creates a strong action movie that is just fun to watch. The story does become a little disjointed along the way, but overall viewers need to take this movie for what it is, a fun action packed movie. Travolta dominates the screen and proves that he still has what it takes.

3.8/5 

(Read Less...)

Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-03-02 21:14:07 by user01

From Paris With Love

What It’s All About:
James Reece is an aspiring CIA agent working as the personal aide to the U.S Ambassador in France. While his initial involvement with the CIA had left more to be desired, he is soon assigned to a case with a new partner, Special Agent Charlie Wax (Travolta). Wax is balls to the wall, trigger happy, wisecracking loose cannon who’s been sent to Paris to investigate a drug ring. Together they take on a terrorist sect and learn that no one can be trusted.
The Final Verdict:
Action packed, balls to the wall and genuinely funny, From Paris With Love achieves something that cinema has been missing for a few years now, creates a strong action movie that is just fun to watch. The story does become a little disjointed along the way, but overall viewers need to take this movie for what it is, a fun action packed movie. Travolta dominates the screen and proves that he still has what it takes.
3.8/5

Recommendations:

From Paris with Love

    The critics thought very little of "From Paris with Love" and I didn't think I wanted to watch John Travolta act like an idiot for an hour and a half, but I was bored and I didn't want to drive very far, so, it was "From Paris with Love," a couple of chick flicks, a couple of kiddie movies, or an idiotic comedy.  As it turns out, the least of all evils was actually not bad at all. 
 
     "From Paris with Love" is an action/spy flick starring John Travolta (and his royale with cheese) as bulletproof, super spy Charlie Wax and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as wanna be spy James Reece.  Wax is trying to take out terrorists and the drug ring supporting them and Reece is just along for the ride, desperately trying to get home to his hot, French girlfriend played by Kasia Smutniak.  Along the way, Reece, ever so slowly, learns to trust Wax, and just shut up and do what he says.  This is an action movie, so the plot isn't all that important, but it does take a few, nice twists here and there.  (Don't try to solve the mystery, there isn't one!  Travolta tells you that.)
 
     Travolta is really the only reason to see this movie.  If your not a fan, don't bother.  Meyers plays his character well, but his character isn't exactly likable until near the end.  The action sequences are not too fast to follow or done in annoying, shaky cam, but they do paint Travolta's character as an invincible, super spy who can kill a room full of bad guys while sliding, upside down, down a fireman's pole.  Despite this, you don't have to suspend disbelief as much as one might think, because Meyers' character can't believe it either and he's in the film.  There's a decidedly dark turn toward the end, but the drama doesn't take over, and it all  makes for a satisfying and solid, action movie, ending. 
 
     If you're looking for an Oscar worthy story or an all out action blockbuster, "From Paris with Love" isn't it, but if you're looking for a solid action movie with a story that's better than most action movies, this is it, plus John Travolta.

(Read Less...)

Brian
Ciné Critique Américain

From Paris With Love

Luc Besson is someone I had a lot more time for then other directors who specialized in the action genre. In part because he cared about character amidst the carnage, and while it could be trite at times, it was always genuine, he meant it, and as a consequence he had a distinctive voice. Something that is very fucking rare in the action genre. But while his directorial career ended somewhat unceremoniously ( casting Milla Jovovich as Joan Of Arc and all that), his reformed identity as the Jerry Bruckheimer of the euro-action movie seems to be going quite well. After Taken's unexpected box-office haul, this follow up offers more of the nostalgic same.

And do you know what. In a very simplistic, basic way, I had fun. Its a solid, entertaining action movie. Its not Shakespeare or anything, but viewed as 90 minutes of something that exists solely to give you a superficial and disposable good time, the film works. Sure, its very stupid, often hackneyed and if there's a more wooden and awkward performance then the one Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( who I have liked on occasion) gives here, then the world is very much a frightening place. The movie, much like Taken, pitches its chances on the charisma and draw of its star. And to my immense surprise, Travolta comes through for this movie. Now I've seen Broken Arrow and Wild Hogs, and know how bad this guy can be. And that's very, very bad, ladies and gentleman. We don't see Pulp Fiction Travolta here though, but we do get Face/Off Travolta, and that's so much better then what could have been. He goes over the top without being irritating and mostly does it only when its appropriate (Although I could have done without seeing Travolta saying 'Yeah Boi!'. That was certainly embarrassing) and kicks severe amounts of ass convincingly (Maybe the editing gave him a fair assist on this one, because he remains a little on the heavy side). Maybe its the Stone Cold Steve Austen look shrewdly deceiving, but this is probably the best he's been this particular millennium, which is a poignant insult I suppose. But yeah, he entertained me and shot a hell of a lot of people, which is what I want from my action stars. The plot of this movie was pretty irrelevant to itself, a by the numbers terrorist thing that could have been rejected off 24. It makes absolutely sense, but the action is swiftly handled by director Pierre Morel, who does have some aptitude at this kind of thing and doesn't give you enough time to realize how retarded everything is.

For all its faults, and there are many, it can be enjoyed, which is something that can't be said about many a bigger budget action movie. And also John Travolta literally eats a Royale with Cheese in this film, so, you know. That happens.

Rating: 6/10

From Paris with Love: Oo la yech!

Let's say you're a suicide bomber. A female suicide bomber. And let's say you have the perfect disguise to get you into an important international conference wearing your trusty blow-it-up vest. What kind of footwear would you wear to melt into the crowd? A. Sneakers. B. Sensible flats. C. Spindly stilettos. If you chose C, you might enjoy "From Paris with Love," a movie that makes as much sense as accessorizing a burqa with limousine shoes.

You might also want to see this nonsensical flick if you're an obsessed John Travolta fan. (Hey, nothing wrong with that.) Or a Jonathan Rhys Myers junkie. (He's pretty cool, too.) Though both stink like fetid foie gras in this buddy movie that's supposed to be a takeoff of James Bond's "From Russian with Love." Operative words: "supposed to be." 

"From Paris with Love" is the exception to one of the Movie Slut's most revered rules: Never miss a flick with Paris in the title.
If you decide to skip this mess of a movie, she suggests renting one of these: "Paris After Dark," 1943; "American in Paris," 1951; "Paris Blues," 1961; "Paris — when it sizzles," 1964; "Paris, Texas," 1984; "Paris is Burning," 1990; "Paris,je t'aime," 2006." 

A bientot.

(Read Less...)

See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

From Paris With Love

You want to write a good movie? Do this:

Take two characters who are complete opposites in every way. Put them in a situation which forces them to work together to accomplish what they want.

Stand back and collect accolades.

This is what "From Paris With Love" does, and even though in some respects the movie is a disposable piece of cheap action trash, in other respects it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Brit Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a diplomatic attache and aspiring MI-6 agent. He is given the task of assisting an American CIA agent soon to arrive in Paris named Charlie Wax. We know Wax as film star John Travolta.

Rhys Meyers is bookish, earnest and careful, while Wax is reckless to the point of insanity.

Two opposites. Can't go wrong.

What Travolta and Rhys Meyers must do is stop the assassination of a British delegation to an African aid conference. What this will accomplish is unclear, as the actual motives of the bad guys are never dwelt upon. And why should they be? There are cars to be blown up with missile launchers.

The bad guys in question are Muslim extremists, and I for one salute the European production companies behind this film for doing something Hollywood has been reluctant to do: namely, cast suicide bombers as bad guys.

After all, in contemporary society Muslim terrorists ARE the bad guys. I think we've absorbed this well enough for Hollywood to start portraying our religiously-motivated enemies as the villains they are.

But back to the action, because there's lots of it. With Rhys Meyers' marginal help, Travolta's Charlie Wax shoots his way through a Chinese restaurant, a cocaine factory and a brothel. And he's really just getting started.

The body count in "From Paris" goes extremely high, which befits the wink-at-the-camera, pulpy tone of the movie. If it were more realistic, "From Paris" would be a lot less fun. So this is one instance where a movie star, especially a hammy, overweight movie star with a shaved head and goatee, is actually an artistic positive. Travolta's presence lets us in on the fact that this is just a movie and we should be ready to roll with whatever punches come our way.

Despite this unserious self-image, the script sneaks in a handful of outstanding lines of dialogue. When asked by Rhys Meyers what he could possibly know about love, Travolta's Wax replies, "I've been in love. Once in Senegal, twice in Beirut. Same woman." We never find out who that woman was, but what a story that line implies.

There's also a good recurring thread about Rhys Meyers' reluctance/inability to shoot a malefactor, or anyone else, in cold blood. This is a necessary skill for a secret agent, and by the end of the movie Rhys Meyers' weakness is put to the ultimate test.

I don't know if "From Paris With Love" is a great film. In fact, I'm pretty sure it isn't. But I had a great time watching it.

SCORE

How Accomplished: 74/100

How Much I Enjoyed: 91/100

Murders On The Rue Dork

Around this time last year we were treated to a surprisingly entertaining action film set in France called Taken  in which Liam Neeson played a former CIA operative whose 17 year old daughter was kidnapped by a sex slave ring. Taken stands as proof that a movie can have a crazy, unbelievable plot and still be an entertaining action film. From Paris With Love, on the other hand, proves that Taken was the exception for European action films and not the rule. Most action films made by Europeans are like The Transporter, a movie so messy and crazy that you just assume it was written by a schizophrenic. Let me describe From Paris With Love and you can decide if it falls in that category.

James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Myers) has a pretty decent life as the Executive Assistant to America's Ambassador to Paris. In addition to being indispensable to his boss, he also seems to be a rising covert CIA operative AND he's dating a smoking hot girl played by Polish model Kasia Smutniak. Awesome name, by the way. Kasia Smutniak. Hee hee hee. I shouldn't laugh. My name in Poland probably translates directly as "World's Biggest Dog Raper" or something like that but still...Kasia Smutniak. Moving on.

Reece is told by his CIA bosses to partner up with an American agent named Charlie Wax (John Travolta). I strongly suspect that the first draft of this script did not contain a character named Charlie Wax and that he was only added after they cut John Travolta a check. I think this because Charlie Wax pretty much seems to exist in a completely different movie. There's apparently some big trouble brewing in Paris so the CIA figured the best way to handle it was to release a rude, violent psychopath with a hair trigger who doesn't even speak French into the Parisian streets. Wax has a tendency to enter dangerous situations and shoot indiscriminately. Wax and Reece have two assets on their side: 1) Bad guys look as if they've been trained to not aim directly at whomever they are shooting and 2) Parisian police don't show up to investigate massive gun battles unless such an investigation is convenient for the plot. This means that maybe sending in Charlie Wax wasn't such a stupid idea on the CIA's part. Now Wax is free to kill Chinese cocaine dealers until his trigger finger gets tired BUT it turns out he's not really there to kill Chinese drug lords even though he spends the first 40 minutes killing a shitload of them. His actual mission is to track down Pakistani suicide bombers, a fact he withheld from Reece until the totally random moment he chose to reveal it. Why didn't he tell Reece that in the first place? Shut the hell up, that's why.

If you're wondering why the movie is called From Paris With Love, you won't find an answer from me. As far as I can tell, it's a generic, meaningless title that fits in perfectly with this generic, meaningless movie. The plot is stupid, the action is uninspired and obviously computer generated and, to top it off, the filmmakers thought it would be entertaining to shoot not one but two gorgeous women in the face. Also, they had the moviemaking smarts to have Travolta make a joke about his love for the Royale With Cheese, a line that instantly reminded us of a much better movie with John Travolta and managed to do something I thought was impossible. It lowered my opinion of the movie even further. That's one accomplishment, I guess.

Michael Clear
http://clearsown.blogspot.com

(Read Less...)

Last updated: 2010-02-09 17:54:23 by michaelclear

Oo la yech!

Let's say you're a suicide bomber. A female suicide bomber. And let's say you have the perfect disguise to get you into an important international conference wearing your trusty blow-it-up vest. What kind of footwear would you wear to melt into the crowd? A. Sneakers. B. Sensible flats. C. Spindly stilettos. If you chose C, you might enjoy "From Paris with Love," a movie that makes as much sense as accessorizing a burqa with limousine shoes.

You might also want to see this nonsensical flick if you're an obsessed John Travolta fan. (Hey, nothing wrong with that.) Or a Jonathan Rhys Myers junkie. (He's pretty cool, too.) Though both stink like fetid foie gras in this buddy movie that's supposed to be a take off of James Bond's "From Russian with Love." Operative words, "supposed to be." It's also billed as a action comedy with a body count that doubles each second. Throw in a 1950s attitude toward women and — voila — you've got it.

From Paris with Love is the exception to one of the Movie Slut's most revered rules: Never miss a flick with Paris in the title.
If you decide to skip this mess of a movie, she suggests renting one of these: "Paris After Dark," 1943; "American in Paris," 1951; "Paris Blues," 1961; "Paris — when it sizzles," 1964; "Paris, Texas," 1984; "Paris is Burning," 1990; "Paris,je t'aime," 2006."
A bientot.

See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

With love maybe, but not originality

It's hard to know exactly what to think of Luc Besson's career post-Léon: as a writer/producer, he's responsible for dumb but fun actioners like Taxi (the French original, not the US remake) and The Transporter; as a director, he has come up with the pretentious Joan of Arc and the atrocious Arthur franchise (which is supposed to be his last directorial project). Since From Paris with Love falls in the first category, it was easy to expect something decent. Instead, we get a by-numbers, smug, overblown film whose only merit is leaving the titular city relatively intact come the closing credits (remember the nanomites in G.I. Joe?).

The plot revolves around James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the American ambassador's personal aide in Paris. Unbeknownst to his boss, Reece has been doing some spy work on the side, and his most recent actions have earned attention from the right people, to the point that he's asked to go on a mission right when he and his girlfriend (Kasia Smutniak) are supposed to celebrate their engagement. His assignment? To help bad-ass agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta) as the latter has to deal with a potential terrorist threat. Cue shootouts, car chases and some good old swearing.

On paper, there was some potential for the movie, as director Pierre Morel knows how to handle the action stuff. Unfortunately, he keeps staging one loud set piece after the other, leaving no time for breath or, more crucially, character development: the villains are bland (no prizes for guessing their origin), the sudden "twist" pretty much phoned-in and the final act plain embarrassing. The leading duo could work just fine, were it not for the fact that Travolta, still looking like his Pelham 1 2 3 bad guy, is on tired autopilot and Meyers, best known for playing Henry VIII on The Tudors, doesn't seem to be at ease in a non-British role (despite a passable American accent). As for the script's tow blatant film references ("Wax on, wax off" and a quote from Pulp Fiction), they were probably meant to be comic asides but come off as cringe-worthy moments instead.

In short, From Paris with Love should appeal to action-junkies, but wears pretty thin quite fast. Also, why bother to put the city's name in the title when, breakfast on the Eiffel Tower aside, Charlie Wax's violent odyssey could easily have taken place anywhere else? So much for the love...

(Read Less...)

Vincent Snavely