Even though I wasn’t exactly sure what From Paris With Love would be about, I decided to go see it when I had the chance.
James Reece works for the US ambassador in Paris while also having ambitions of becoming an agent. Every so often, he does small things, like switch license plates. He finally gets his chance when he is told to work with Charlie Wax, an agent arriving in Paris to deal with a situation. Charlie starts dealing with things right away while James tries to keep up and stay alive.
Some scenes, mostly in the beginning when things are being set up, drag a bit. After James meets Charlie, the pace does pick up a lot. Not that much actually happens in the movie. It is more a series of fights and action scenes with a few developments happening every so often. The plot is kind of convoluted and could have been stronger. Despite the plot issues, I ended up really enjoying the movie overall. It works well as a mindless action movie.
The action scenes are very well done for the most part, though there are a lot of quick cuts and jerky camera work during them. That does annoy me. I’m thinking some of that was done to help hide the fact that a stunt double was used at times. There are a lot of fights throughout the movie, most involving Charlie. He had no problem with shooting anyone that he felt was in his way. He would go through some where, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake that James had to dodge - if he wasn’t sort of cowering in a corner. This is definitely an action packed movie. Some humor turns up in a few scenes, usually through things that Charlie says or does.
There is very little character development in the movie. James seems nice enough. His girlfriend Caroline is sort of important even though she is barely around. Charlie is some sort of secret agent who is determined to get his job done. He will use unusual methods and he isn’t concerned about how many bodies he leaves behind. Charlie is a one man killing machine, able to take out numerous bad guys without ever getting hit. That does stretch believability even for this sort of movie. I did like John Travolta in the part, though he looked weird bald. It was also a little weird for me to see him in a part like this. I’ve seen him in a few action movies, but I don’t think any have been like this one.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie and think it works as a decent action movie.
I did get a review posted on Epinions.
From Paris With Love
