Film Review with Robert Mann – From Paris With Love

2nd March 2010

From Paris With Love **½

Following the blockbuster success of Taken in the states last year, French director Pierre Morel has become a very hot property in Hollywood, having been signed to direct a big budget remake of sci-fi film Dune. Until then, however, we have his next foray into the action thriller genre and a film that sees him once again delivering action based around the French capital – From Paris With Love. Setting aside the location, however, this is a film that has little in common with the director’s last film. Whereas that was a deadly serious thriller based around real world issues, Morel’s latest is much more an over the top, tongue in check actioner that is really just for entertainment, failing to offer any of the more serious elements that were present in his last film. Does this film continue the tradition of fresh, stylish and entertaining French action films or will you leave the cinema feeling something other than love for Paris?

James Reese (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is a low-ranking intelligence operative working in the office of the US Ambassador in France. But life takes an unexpected turn when he gets hooked up with Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a high-ranking FBI agent who’s been sent to Paris to foil a large-scale terrorist plot. Charlie’s not afraid to spray bullets in all directions and leave mayhem in his wake, but his gung-ho, wisecracking ways soon wear thin for James, who likes to do things by the book. But with the duo running short of time to smoke out the bad guys, will it be a case of ’till death does them part’? Rules and regulations go right out of the window as a chaotic series of gunfights, car chases and explosions ensue in the world’s most romantic city.

After what Pierre Morel did with Taken it is hard not to feel disappointed by From Paris With Love. Morel’s last film has something going on beneath the surface that made it more than just an average if very stylish action thriller but Paris is a case of plenty of style and absolutely no substance. Plot is virtually non existent here, what does exist being cliched, generic and straight out of numerous other action films you may well have seen over the years, offering nothing even resembling originality and providing minimal development to make the characters more than two dimensional caricatures. Essentially, the film is pretty much a series of over the top action sequences with the bare minimum of plot to actually link them together. If nothing else, though, these action sequences do deliver the goods, with the action being stylishly choreographed and shot and providing ample thrills, a shootout in a warehouse full of manequins being a particular highlight. The action is undeniably entertaining but other aspects of the film will be viewed differently by different people. The dialogue, for instance, is often predictable and obvious but it is also quite cheesy (in a good way) and, in the case of Travolta’s character, very politically incorrect. Simply put, no one is going to win any awards for writing here but there is actually some pretty funny dialogue here, in particular a homage to the infamous “Royale with cheese” line from Pulp Fiction, and the dialogue is delivered charismatically by the stars, well Travolta at least. John Travolta is every bit as cheesy as the dialogue he spouts here, delivering one of the sweariest, most profanity packed performances this critic has seen in a long time and clearly loving every minute of it. Whether or not you actually enjoy it will be subjective – some will laugh hysterically while others likely cringe. Certainly his performance can’t really be defined as ‘good’ but at the very least it is so bad it’s good. Sadly, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is underwhelming next to Travolta. Playing the straight guy to Travolta’s funny partner, Meyers lacks the charismatic screen presence of Travolta, often seeming more like he is portraying a plot device than a fully fleshed out character. He’s not exactly bad but he hardly stands out in any way and as a result the buddy dynamic fails to create the impact it really should have. Overall, this is film that is entertaining but ultimately rather unmemorable, lacking the substance and edge of Taken or the slickness and fun of The Transporter. From Paris With Love? From Paris With Ambivalence more like.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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