From Paris With Love has very solid action and performances, especially from John Travolta, but falls short in the plot department, big time.
If you’re one of those people that likes to see explosions and action and you don’t care why, you’ll probably love this movie. Based on a story from the producer of Taken, Travolta is the “wild man” secret agent and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, his agent in training. Unlike, say, The Bourne Identity, where you get a sense of who Bourne actually works for, it’s unclear what agency Meyers and Travolta are a part of. (One can assume CIA, but its never actually said.)
Another problem is that during Act I, most of the time is eaten up by having Meyers with his girlfriend, which telegraphs either A) the girlfriend will die because she’s important to the plot, B) the girlfriend is a double agent planted to be important at the end or C) she’ll be kidnapped and we’ll go through that whole cliche as the two must band together and save her. (It’s the lamest of the choices above.)
Travolta explodes on the screen, jumping from one action scene to the next. First they’re hunting drug dealers, then Travolta’s on a personal mission and finally they’re hunting terrorists. Considering we already know the third part because the trailer, the script is simply stalling and jerking around Meyers and the audience while Travolta racks up a body count.
Unlike Taken, where you are emotionally invested in the father trying to save his daughter, Travolta and Meyers are trying to save a fairly generic summit of politicians from a generic group of terrorists. Without those specifics, you might as well be watching someone playing a video game. The reveal at the end is pretty lame and the final minutes set up a potential sequel, I guess. Maybe next time they could get a better script writer.
This is a rental at best, bros. It’s not awful, but something you could totally have running in the room while you check your email and make dinner. You can pop your head up for the stunts and explosions and then tune out for the rest. I give From Paris With Love 5 out of 10 keggers.
