James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the kind of guy who can glance at a chessboard, size up the situation, and make his move in the time it takes most people to remember how to move the pieces. He is intelligent, methodical and very good at what he does in his job as assistant to the American ambassador to France – but he yearns for more. Unknown to his employer, he is also an operative with a national intelligence agency, but what he really wishes to do is work in special operations. What he ends up doing is drudge work – like switching license plates in underground garages.
His chance to do something more arrives one night when he receives a call from his superior, who is unfortunately shorthanded, to pick up another operative at the airport and do whatever he needs, mostly chauffer duties, with the promise that this will assure Reece's entrance into the "club". Not quite what the has dreamed of but still, it is an opportunity for bigger and better things for Reece and he leaps at the opportunity, even if it does mean leaving his girlfriend, Caroline (pronounced Caro-leen, played by Kasia Smutniak, a newcomer to most American audiences), right after she has proposed to him! But what is a guy to do? Work is work is work……
Except when it isn't, as Reece discovers when he reaches the airport, only to find that his partner du jour, Charlie Wax (John Travolta) is arguing with a custom official about bringing his cans of energy drinks into the country! Charlie is big and bald and brassy, he's got more chutzpah than most men, and he also happens to like to yank people's chains! But when it comes to business, he knows his stuff, although Reece has his doubts at first, such as when Charlie insists on being taken to a particular Chinese restaurant – and the food is definitely not the draw. Reece's life is permanently upended, as he finds himself following Charlie from situation to situation, in an operation which although not entirely official is the next best thing. And to add insult to injury, after the incident in the restaurant, Reece becomes the guardian of a vase filled with cocaine which he lugs around with them!
From Paris, With Love is the latest offering from Luc Besson, best known for The Fifth Element and The Professional, as well as Le Femme Nikita. The story is his, and bears telltale fingerprints that are classic Besson – how he does love his weapons, and people who dabble in drugs! Luc wrote the story, while Pierre Morel directed. It starts out slow, as we become acquainted with Reece and his quiet life, although his yearning for more is so obvious. But once Charlie Wax enters the scene, peaces goes out the door, and it becomes a thrill-a-minute fast-paced action film, which more than delivers its share of surprises and excitement and "WTF" moments. And suddenly, Reece is beginning to doubt that he is cut out for this sort of life, after all, but it's a little bit late to be thinking that way…..
John Travolta is his typical charming self; even in those moments when you wonder what is wrong with Charlie Wax, you gotta like him. Even bald, he's gorgeous – eye candy of a different sort from Rhys Meyers, with the most beautiful eyes and a smile to die for. JRM (whom I am more used to seeing in Tudor garb recently) is effective as the wannabe James Bond that may have gotten in over his head, as he discovers that playing board games and making the right moves in chess doesn't prepare you for having to shoot your way out of a situation, or for killing another human being.
From Paris With Love is a fast-paced adventure, once the action gears up with Travolta's entrance, and has definite twists that you won't see coming, as well as some hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. As a bonus, listen for a Pulp Fiction reference which will have you grinning from ear to ear with its familiarity. What a great way to spend an hour and a half! Probably not for the little ones – a lot of blood as well as language – but for the rest of us, it's a very entertaining flick!
ComicsOnline gives From Paris With Love 4.5 out of 5 coke-filled vases
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