Action impresario Luc Besson has been the man behind some of the genre’s best films such as The Professional and La Femme Nikita. Even the excessively garish Fifth Element had its moments. Besson rarely steps behind the camera these days, his output as a director waned after the failure of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc which starred then-girlfriend, Milla Jovovich, as the title character. Aside from the fantastical rom-com Angel-A and the family-friendly Arthur and the Invisibles, Besson has been content to work as a writer and producer on other films including Unleashed and the The Transporter franchise. From Paris with Love is Besson’s latest actioner and it is directed by protégé Pierre Morel who helmed the parkour flick District B13 and the surprisingly excellent Taken. Morel does not complete the hat trick with the obnoxious and misogynistic From Paris with Love.
James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is an assistant to the American ambassador in Paris. He secretly moonlights for the CIA, but his duties usually entail switching license plates and planting bugs. Pleading to become a field agent, Reece is given more than he’s bargained for when he’s paired with Charlie Wax (John Travolta). Wax is a violent, foul-mouthed, testosterone case, the loose cannon of loose cannons. Wax drags Reece along on a bullet-riddled journey into the Parisian underworld. They follow a trail from Chinese coke dealers to terrorists planning the bombing the U.S. Embassy.
As with Reece, we’re just along for the ride, a ride chock full of profanity and derivative action sequences where plenty of Asians and Arabs are shot to hell. The shootouts and fight scenes are a pale imitation of John Woo mixed with the shakycam and whiplash editing style that has become so trendy in a post-Paul Greengrass world. All these herky jerky techniques help hide the fact it isn’t Travolta doing most of the stunts.
Speaking of the film’s star, the former Vinnie Barbarino goes for the same shaved head and goatee look from the Pelham 123 remake. He also goes for the same grating and manic acting methods making previous over-the-top efforts (Face/Off, for example) seem downright minimalist. Travolta probably had fun making From Paris with Love, but he probably had fun making Battlefield Earth and Old Dogs, so what does he know?
Jonathan Rhys Meyers who was very good in Velvet Goldmine and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead struggles as the desk jockey turned wannabe-Bond. The Irish-born actor overplays his hand when it comes to an American accent.
Despite already being an assault on anyone with an iota of intelligence, the picture blatantly rips off other movies far better than itself. Besson and his co-writer Adi Hasak don’t even bother to be subtle about their plagiarism. Wax coerces Reece to snort a pinch of cocaine and the rookie begins tripping out during a car ride ala Training Day. In one of the film’s quieter scenes (a rarity), Travolta refers to a burger as a “Royale with cheese.” I bet someone was patting themselves on the back for that reference.
There are dumb action movies and then there are movies just plain dumb. From Paris with Love is the latter. It’s an idiotic and unoriginal mess that tries to be the kind of buddy action-comedy which went out of style after the 57th Lethal Weapon knockoff. It makes you weep for the days of nuanced fare like The Last Boy Scout.
Rating: *
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