James Reece is an ambitious aide to the U.S. Ambassador in Paris, doing little jobs for the CIA and hoping to get into black ops. On the night he and his girlfriend, Caroline, become engaged, he's told to pick up Charlie Wax at Orly. Charlie is an unorthodox government employee - large, bald and bearded, foul-mouthed and eccentric. Charlie immediately takes James on a wild ride of murder and mayhem, through ethnic enclaves. As bodies pile up, the purpose remains opaque to James. Caroline, unhappy that James has been out of touch for a day, tells him to bring Charlie for dinner. Charlie can be charming - where will it lead? Does the chess-playing James have what it takes? In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador hooks up with an American spy looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city. I was looking forward to this for a while as I'm a fan of John Travolta and Luc Besson. I wasn't disappointed. While it won't please all viewers, it'll certainly entertain those who can switch off. Travolta is superb in the lead role as Charlie Wax, his wisecracks and violent behaviour very enjoyable to watch. The film got bad press but that didn't put me off seeing it. The shoot-ups are well executed. The scene where Travolta takes on a tough looking Chinese gang is the films highlight for me. I saw the twist coming a mile off but you might not. I thought it could of done with a few more fights in it but apart from that I really enjoyed this kick-ass action flick and hope to see a sequel or two in future years. ***/***** I went into From Paris with Love hoping for another TAKEN, but it turns out my hopes were too high. This is strictly by-the-numbers entertainment, a join-the-dots type thriller that veers uneasily between humour and hijinks and boasts a plot that was probably written on the back of a napkin. Indeed, apart from the setting and xenophobic aspect of the storyline, this and the Liam Neeson film have little in common – more's the pity.<br/><br/>The main problem is focus, which is all over the place. There's an extended introduction to one of the characters which feels like nothing more than padding, then a shoot-the-baddies series of action set-pieces which are linked together very sketchily. I can forgive this type of stuff if the action scenes excel, but unfortunately they're routine here, a series of noisy, fast-cut shootings and nothing more besides.<br/><br/>The film's saving grace is the two lead actors. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is the straight man and very good he is too – even though I'm disposed to dislike him after I saw him in I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD. Witness his momentary breakdown around halfway through and tell me that isn't decent acting. Travolta, on the other hand, is given free reign to go over the edge as one of those borderline psycho-types we're used to seeing him playing (FACE/OFF, anyone?). He seems to be having a ball, and that enjoyment is infectious. Although one or two of the twists are lifted from TAKEN, things do pick up for the highway set-piece climax. Forgettable popcorn cinema this may be, but it's still more fun than many a recent Seagal flick. Morel will inevitably be compared to John Woo, whom he trounces. He has fewer mannerisms (no damn doves) and a keener eye; his fastest, most kinetic shots flow together like frames in a flipbook.
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365 weeks ago