“A BUTT-KICKER WITH CHEESE”
Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak and Richard Durden
Directed by: Pierre Morel
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign and Thriller
Release Date: February 2010
By John Delia
Action, energy and relentless aggression are three words that come to mind when speaking of From Paris With Love. The fast action James ‘Bondish’ thriller serves up a huge heaping of guts and guns. If you like films that can turn up upside down, then this kick-butt terrorist flick should be at the top of your movie wish list.
The film starts off by introducing you to James Reese (Rhys Meyers) a personal aid to the U.S. Ambassador to France who is an aspiring CIA Operative on the side. As Reese gets more involved in his secretive assignments they take him more and more away from his beautiful French girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak). Then as fate would have it, he gets a mundane assignment to bail out Charlie Wax (Travolta) from airport security and be his driver for the day.  When he finds out that Wax is a trigger-happy, wisecracking, loose cannon who’s been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack, he finds out just what it is to be a top level agent, the hard way.
The film produces Travolta’s best character yet, bar none. He’s Sean Archer of Face/off, with some Gabriel Shear of Swordfish, a smidgeon of Vic Deakins from Broken Arrow, with a lot of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Yes John’s got some other characters swirling around in his portrayal of Charlie Wax, but it’s still an original for Travolta, no matter what. If you think Liam Neeson was tough in Taken, wait till you see Charlie Wax in From Paris With Love.
In support Jonathan Rhys Meyers puts on a great show as the aspiring secret agent who tries to prove he can cut the mustard. Under the able direction of Pierre Morel (Taken) Meyers transforms this ordinary aide to an Ambassador into a heavy-duty terrorist fighter as the film progresses. The personality change is actually a work of art.
Director Morel took me on a wild and thrilling rollercoaster ride with From Paris With Love. He makes the film smooth and seamless, but utterly relentless. I never knew what was going to happen at every turn and when it did the bullets flashed, fists flew and death was all around. I liked the way he infuses some comic relief so you get to breath a little easier in between scenes.
The film is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality. This is no Sunday school social. A Royal with Cheese anyone?
FINAL ANALYSIS: Well thought out, nicely packaged and a great finale delivered, From Paris With Love is the crime action film to beat in 2010. (5 of 5 Palm Trees)