DVD Reviews

From Paris with Love – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 8, 2010, 16:22 GMT

James Reece (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to France, is secretly moonlighting as a low-level CIA operative. Looking for more action, Reece accepts a job that teams him with wise-cracking special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a trigger-happy loose cannon sent to Paris on a mission of international importance. Now, Reece finds himself on the wildest ride of his life as the new partners pull out all ...more

Mr. Clean takes on gay Paree in this action thriller from the pen and production company of Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel.

John Travolta is the super spy with Jonathan Rhys Meyers tagging along for all the explosions and buddy bonding (Bonding, James Bonding).

James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to France. He does menial tasks such as keeping the ambassador up to speed on the affairs of his French counterpart, has a nice, spacious apartment, and a pretty fiancé named Caroline (Kasia Smutniak).

What the ambassador doesn’t know is that Reese has been moonlighting doing menial tasks for the CIA. He wants to move up from those small tasks and when his shadowy contact offers him a bigger assignment he jumps at it.

The new assignment is partnering up with Charlie Wax (John Travolta), but he first has to get the combative, loose cannon Charlie past customs. Once that first part is completed, thanks to Reese’s creativity, Charlie leads him on a whirlwind assignment through the city of lights that will eventually lead right back to Reese’s front door.

If you want to know the truth, I really wasn’t too interested in From Paris with Love. John Travolta seems a bit off when he gets made up to do a role. He had a similar look, with more hair, for the redo of Taking Pelham 123. However, I do have to sheepishly admit a fondness for what he does in this movie.

He still looks like Mr. Clean, but the film tends to throw in some surprises. Travolta is a maniacal spy and takes Meyers in tow for most of his deceptive assignment, humorously Meyers tows around a vase for most of it.

Travolta plays Wax as a loose cannon that we’re not exactly sure we (the audience) can trust since he keeps changing his story about the nature of the assignment. I surely kept expecting that he would have some villainous secrets before the end credits rolled.

However, his unpredictability is what keeps the film moving because you don’t know exactly what the loopy Charlie is going to do next (shades of Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon). That plot also has a tendency to veer away from what you think is going down and throws in some surprises along the way. It also makes some turns that you might not be expecting as well.

Rhys Meyers makes a good foil as the buttoned down aide that discovers that his need for an exciting CIA job might be more than he bargained for.

From Paris with Love is a fun rollercoaster ride that throws in some blood-soaked, high octane action sequences thanks to the derring-do of agent Charlie Wax and even manages to throw in some travelogue time in Paris.

From Paris with Love is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). Special features are presented in high definition and start off with a BonusView commentary with director Pierre Morel.

Next is the 26 minute “making of,” a 16 minute featurette about being an uncover operative, a 4 minute look in the International Spy Museum, a trivia game, a look at Charlie’s gun locker, and the trailer as well as other Lionsgate products. Disc two is a digital copy for your portable device.

From Paris with Love is not a film that breaks any molds in the buddy action film genre. However, it is a fun film full of action and intrigue. Travolta may look a bit strange in his Mr. Clean getup but it’s his unpredictability that propels the film into the fun ride that it is.

So grab your Royale with Cheese, tone down your brain, and get ready to have a short love affair with this action film.