John Travolta just shouldn't shave his head. EVER.
From Paris With Love
starring John Travolta, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden
directed by Pierre Morel
The stunning hit Taken starring Liam Neeson gave Pierre Morel nearly instant fame; it is a simple, hardcore, to the point and in your face action film that anybody could get behind. Honestly, it is one of the most memorable films of 2008; period. So, it’s obvious Morel needed to follow it up with something just as intense; something just as adrenaline pumping. The product is From Paris With Love, a Bond-esque spy thriller starring none other than Mr. Royal with Cheese himself, John Travolta. John has been in the need of a good role, and probably jumped on this film not only for the fun of it, but for the chance to work with rising star directing talent.
James Reese (Rhys Meyers) is an assistant for the U.S. Ambassador to France. He is meticulous to a point, and is a cool and calculating chess player. However, he is much more than meets the eye. He secretly works for the United States as an undercover agent in training. After some time just changing license plates on cars and setting listening devices, the big bosses give him a real deal spy assignment: Follow around bad ass extraordinaire Charlie Wax (Travolta) and do exactly as he says. After gun smuggling, multiple deadly shoot outs, and collecting cocaine in a Chinese vase, Reese isn’t sure he is the biggest fan of Wax’s methods. But as Wax starts to uncover more information about a terrorist ring in Paris, it becomes more apparent that Reese is more involved than he first thought. The terrorists have pictures and surveillance of Reese; and neither he or Charlie are quite sure how, or why.
If John Travolta was looking for a career saving role, this certainly wasn’t it. Charlie Wax is an extremely fun character to watch wreck havoc on the screen, but he is very one dimensional. He claims to be full of surprises, and Wax certainly is as a spy, but as a role Travolta played him plainly. No surprises, nothing bubbling underneath the surface; all in all, Travolta’s performance reminded me of many Steven Seagal films I’ve sat through. Furthermore, I’d love to tell you that up and comer Jonathan Rhys Meyers did a good job, but he really didn’t. His whole character, who is supposed to be the main character and focal point of the film, is quite forgettable.
The plot really is not much better than the acting. It definitely has a forward momentum, but as an audience member you are never quite sure where the momentum is taking you. Watching the story move from scene to scene is a bit like watching a dog chase its own tail: There just isn’t much of a point to watching something so senseless, but some how you just can’t help yourself. It is horribley negligent to any detail. Morel really brings home the action spots, however. The genius of that same keen eye behind the camera of Taken can been seen in each intense shoot out. The bullets pound into the wall and the bodies, and each slick and smooth movement of Charlie Wax is filmed perfectly. If only the plot could have been injected with as much life as the action has, the movie would have been stellar.
All in all, From Paris With Love is not good, but its not bad either. It can be best described as the kind of bad movie you love to waste time on. There’s nothing wrong with action for the sake of action; it is what it is. It’s unfortunate that with such a talented director, a cast with so much potential, and a decent basis for a story, the movie couldn’t have the follow through that it easily could have accomplished. At barely over an hour and a half, twenty minutes of added characterisation and plot detail could have taken the film from ‘OK action flick’ to ‘OMG this film made my eyes bleed dude!’ Its the little things, people.
From Travolta, With Love
John Travolta just shouldn't shave his head. EVER.
From Paris With Love
starring John Travolta, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden
directed by Pierre Morel
The stunning hit Taken starring Liam Neeson gave Pierre Morel nearly instant fame; it is a simple, hardcore, to the point and in your face action film that anybody could get behind. Honestly, it is one of the most memorable films of 2008; period. So, it’s obvious Morel needed to follow it up with something just as intense; something just as adrenaline pumping. The product is From Paris With Love, a Bond-esque spy thriller starring none other than Mr. Royal with Cheese himself, John Travolta. John has been in the need of a good role, and probably jumped on this film not only for the fun of it, but for the chance to work with rising star directing talent.
James Reese (Rhys Meyers) is an assistant for the U.S. Ambassador to France. He is meticulous to a point, and is a cool and calculating chess player. However, he is much more than meets the eye. He secretly works for the United States as an undercover agent in training. After some time just changing license plates on cars and setting listening devices, the big bosses give him a real deal spy assignment: Follow around bad ass extraordinaire Charlie Wax (Travolta) and do exactly as he says. After gun smuggling, multiple deadly shoot outs, and collecting cocaine in a Chinese vase, Reese isn’t sure he is the biggest fan of Wax’s methods. But as Wax starts to uncover more information about a terrorist ring in Paris, it becomes more apparent that Reese is more involved than he first thought. The terrorists have pictures and surveillance of Reese; and neither he or Charlie are quite sure how, or why.
If John Travolta was looking for a career saving role, this certainly wasn’t it. Charlie Wax is an extremely fun character to watch wreck havoc on the screen, but he is very one dimensional. He claims to be full of surprises, and Wax certainly is as a spy, but as a role Travolta played him plainly. No surprises, nothing bubbling underneath the surface; all in all, Travolta’s performance reminded me of many Steven Seagal films I’ve sat through. Furthermore, I’d love to tell you that up and comer Jonathan Rhys Meyers did a good job, but he really didn’t. His whole character, who is supposed to be the main character and focal point of the film, is quite forgettable.
The plot really is not much better than the acting. It definitely has a forward momentum, but as an audience member you are never quite sure where the momentum is taking you. Watching the story move from scene to scene is a bit like watching a dog chase its own tail: There just isn’t much of a point to watching something so senseless, but some how you just can’t help yourself. It is horribley negligent to any detail. Morel really brings home the action spots, however. The genius of that same keen eye behind the camera of Taken can been seen in each intense shoot out. The bullets pound into the wall and the bodies, and each slick and smooth movement of Charlie Wax is filmed perfectly. If only the plot could have been injected with as much life as the action has, the movie would have been stellar.
All in all, From Paris With Love is not good, but its not bad either. It can be best described as the kind of bad movie you love to waste time on. There’s nothing wrong with action for the sake of action; it is what it is. It’s unfortunate that with such a talented director, a cast with so much potential, and a decent basis for a story, the movie couldn’t have the follow through that it easily could have accomplished. At barely over an hour and a half, twenty minutes of added characterisation and plot detail could have taken the film from ‘OK action flick’ to ‘OMG this film made my eyes bleed dude!’ Its the little things, people.