-By Daniel Eagan
For movie details, please click here.
Reworking the Liam Neeson vehicle
Taken as an action comedy for John Travolta is the
dubious premise behind
From Paris with Love, a splashy,
over-the-top title from Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. Travolta's
presence and the promise of plenty of action will lure some viewers
to theatres before bad word-of-mouth takes over.
Travolta plays Charlie Wax, a CIA "special-ops" killer first seen
smuggling a handgun through French customs. Wax's profanity-laced
tirades, addiction to fast food, and disquisitions on pop music are
meant to summon up memories of
Pulp Fiction, but this is an
older, heftier Travolta, one who insists on winking and mugging
rather than acting. He's paired with Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers),
an American embassy underling who dreams of becoming a secret
agent.
Reese and his girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) take up most of
the film's opening, a picturesque but bland account of dinner dates
and entry-level espionage marred by an intrusive score. Reese is
then partnered with Wax to take down a cocaine ring, but the
mission expands to encompass brothels, terrorist cells and a
conference of world leaders. Along the way, Wax will teach Reese
about espionage by killing dozens of anonymous bad guys.
Director Pierre Morel (
Taken) makes good use of his Paris
locations, and keeps the story hopping even when it doesn't make
much sense. (One amusing bit has Wax explaining plot points to a
drugged Reese, who can't hear a word he's saying.) The picture
moves comfortably from embassies to slums, and includes a few
adroitly staged shootouts and chases that work despite Travolta's
obvious doubles. Unfortunately, Morel fails to establish a
consistent tone. Much of
From Paris with Love—that is, the
Travolta part—is played for laughs, while the rest pretends to deal
seriously with matters of love and trust.
From Paris with Love may not hold together the way
Taken did, but it's not a complete disappointment either. If
you've never seen one of John Woo's gunfights, or
The Transporter, or any of the film's other
inspirations, you may even be pleasantly surprised.
Film Review: From Paris with Love
Rookie spy joins with veteran killer to stop a terrorist plot in Paris. A slumming John Travolta is the biggest draw in an otherwise lackluster thriller.
Feb 4, 2010
-By Daniel Eagan
For movie details, please click here.
Reworking the Liam Neeson vehicle
Taken as an action comedy for John Travolta is the dubious premise behind
From Paris with Love, a splashy, over-the-top title from Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. Travolta's presence and the promise of plenty of action will lure some viewers to theatres before bad word-of-mouth takes over.
Travolta plays Charlie Wax, a CIA "special-ops" killer first seen smuggling a handgun through French customs. Wax's profanity-laced tirades, addiction to fast food, and disquisitions on pop music are meant to summon up memories of
Pulp Fiction, but this is an older, heftier Travolta, one who insists on winking and mugging rather than acting. He's paired with Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an American embassy underling who dreams of becoming a secret agent.
Reese and his girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) take up most of the film's opening, a picturesque but bland account of dinner dates and entry-level espionage marred by an intrusive score. Reese is then partnered with Wax to take down a cocaine ring, but the mission expands to encompass brothels, terrorist cells and a conference of world leaders. Along the way, Wax will teach Reese about espionage by killing dozens of anonymous bad guys.
Director Pierre Morel (
Taken) makes good use of his Paris locations, and keeps the story hopping even when it doesn't make much sense. (One amusing bit has Wax explaining plot points to a drugged Reese, who can't hear a word he's saying.) The picture moves comfortably from embassies to slums, and includes a few adroitly staged shootouts and chases that work despite Travolta's obvious doubles. Unfortunately, Morel fails to establish a consistent tone. Much of
From Paris with Love—that is, the Travolta part—is played for laughs, while the rest pretends to deal seriously with matters of love and trust.
From Paris with Love may not hold together the way
Taken did, but it's not a complete disappointment either. If you've never seen one of John Woo's gunfights, or
The Transporter, or any of the film's other inspirations, you may even be pleasantly surprised.
