Review of From Paris with Love (2010) by Stevenf — 29 Jun 2013

There is little left to the imagination when most of the posters promoting ‘From Paris with Love’ show a bald and bearded John Travolta holding a rocket launcher, we now know exactly what we are in for, an over the top and ridiculous 90 minutes...but man is it enjoyable.

Jonathan Rys Meyers stars as James Reese, a small time CIA operative who sights are higher within the place, but who is also a personal aide to a US Ambassador for France, and he’s quite good at his job, and of course he has the woman of his dreams, but when his wish for a more responsible role within the CIA comes to life in the form of unorthodox operative Charlie Wax, played by John Travolta, it isn’t exactly what James was expecting, especially when a shootout goes awry and he ends up carrying a vase full of cocaine around for quite a bit of the film.

John Travolta is without doubt the best thing about the film, his absurd characteristics of Charlie Wax, drinking mint tea, lunch on the Eiffel Tower and being in love with his ‘wife’, a gun, are hysterical, but he also proves he can play the bad guy with excellent effect, alongside the calmer Meyers.While the legendary actor has had his ups and downs across the years, he has proven himself as quite a diverse actor, particularly in his action oriented turns in this and The taking of Pelham 123. Meyers often portrays very serious and one dimensional characters, but again he seems to be enjoying himself throughout the movie, the mismatch of leading actors certainly paid off as is proven by the surprising chemistry of the level-headed James Reese and the crazy Charlie Wax.

The writing certainly has its spark in moments, but this is very much a popcorn flick with plenty of brawling in the most unorthodox of circumstances and enough firepower to keep the bloodthirsty fans amused, it is what A Good Day to Die Hard should have been.

From Paris with Love rightly prides itself in its absurdity, whether its hiding various weapon parts in energy drinks to get through airport customs, hanging out of a speeding car with a rocket launcher or the unbelievable plot which takes each and every twist and turn imaginable, it all equals out to an enjoyable flick that is easy on the eyes but not so much on the ears.