Coming to us from the director of Banlieue 13, and with the support of Luc Besson, From Paris with Love is exactly the movie you expect it to be. I mean, for fucks sake, the guy is holding a bazooka on the poster. Hey man, that’s not a bazooka but an AT4 rocket launcher man. Okay, man. First of all, the thing that really got on my nerves was the fact they straight-up stole the plot of Training Day. We have a smooth veteran and awkward rookie going at it in Paris. And both of them end up taking drugs and doing things off the book.
Of course, Travolta’s character is more of a loose cannon while Rhy’s is this ambitious go-getter. Both of them did a terrific job and this formulaic setup is not their plot. I loved that Travolta finally embraced his looks, appearing bald and unhinged. From Paris with Love has one goal and that’s to entertain you. There will be witty one-liners, shootouts, explosions, and a lot of chase scenes. And all of this will be happening against the backdrop of picturesque Paris, a city of love and bullets. The plot is just pure insanity featuring CIA agents, triads, terrorists, spies, and all kinds of other shit going on.
As all EuropaCorp movies, this one also looks phenomenally good. As it should do with a budget of over $50 million. The cinematography is beautiful with these saturated colors and sharp focus. This will help with the somewhat sluggish start of the movie but don’t worry, pacing will pick up soon. As soon as John Travolta shows up that is. Once things start popping off, they pretty much don’t stop until the movie is over. And with a runtime of just ninety minutes, that will be soon.
James Reese is a young and slick operator working for the American embassy in Paris. He also works with the CIA helping them with odd jobs. However, when Charlie Wax, an experienced field operative arrives at the Paris airport all of that is going to change. Their first mission takes them to a Chinese restaurant as they’re trying to get to the head of a local Triad gang. This little excursion will put them on a very dangerous path.
We’ve all seen From Paris with Love before but somehow it’s still fun to watch it again. They were perfectly aware of what they were doing so they leaned in heavily into this casual and entertaining vibe. Like we’re all here to have some fun so let’s motherfucking have it. There will also be a couple of twists, just to keep things a bit on the edge.
Director: Pierre Morel
Writers: Adi Hasak, Luc Besson
Cast: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Amber Rose Revah, Eric Godon
Fun Stuff: There’s an interesting Pulp Fiction reference here, the infamous Royale with cheese.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179034/
