FROM PARIS WITH LOVE
*
Director: Pierre Morel
Screenwriter: Adi Hasak adapted from a story by Luc Besson
Principal cast:
Jonathan Rhys Myers
John Travolta
Kasia Smutniak
Richard Durden
Bin Yin
Amber Rose Revah
Country: France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 92 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2010
Based on a story by Luc Besson and adapted for the screen by Adi Hasak, From Paris with Love, directed by Pierre Morel, takes us on a wild ride through Paris with a helluva lot of hate, judging by the huge body count throughout his film. This is a buddy movie pitched to young male adolescents who aren’t likely to pay any attention to the ‘real’ world currently obsessed with terrorist paranoia.
The setting is Paris and we get a bird’s eye view in the opening credits as we enter the world of government agents on an anti-terrorism peace mission. Young Agent Reece, played with a rather dodgy accent by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is desperate to rise above his ‘safe’ daily duties. He is given the task of picking up a rogue agent from the airport with orders to team up with him. Are we to believe that this is yet another attempt on the part of the USA to make another part of the world a safe place?
Here, John Travolta (Charlie Wax), is playing an unorthodox CIA operative. His look is to be seen to be believed… a bit like Mr T, with a bald head. He bursts on screen using a volley of expletives which make him come across as a very ugly American indeed. In fact, you have to suspend your disbelief when he finally gets to exit customs with Reece’s assistance. Charlie’s attitude alone would be enough to put any immigration officer off-side.
The moment they hit the ground running, they go on a roller-coaster ride which includes shooting up a Chinese restaurant infiltrated by Asian gangsters. It’s a bit like watching a John Woo film on speed, but in this case, we get to see clichés flying all over the screen, along with the bullets. And, they keep on rolling as we reach the Projects.
In the early scenes in the film, we are introduced to Reece’s squeeze played by Kasia Smutniak (Carolina), who pops the question to him and places a ring on his finger which belonged to her dear departed father. Oh, how liberating… until we discover that all good things in this film come with an ulterior motive. It gets worse when Reece declares his love to his fiancé; we realize that this convoluted act of passion is all about keeping us confused until the final shoot-out.
There are some funny gags, but they are few and far between. To be fair, Travolta has moments as he did in Old Dogs, where he wallowed on another level of mediocrity. For example, his reference to Royales - the French name for a Big Mac, a direct gag from Pulp Fiction - does actually work. However, there are not enough moments to place this film anywhere above ‘P’ for pathetic on your local video shelf, where it may get an airing in the future, on a Friday night with the lads, after a boozy session at the pub.
Screenwriter: Adi Hasak adapted from a story by Luc Besson
Principal cast:
Jonathan Rhys Myers
John Travolta
Kasia Smutniak
Richard Durden
Bin Yin
Amber Rose Revah
Country: France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 92 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2010
Based on a story by Luc Besson and adapted for the screen by Adi Hasak, From Paris with Love, directed by Pierre Morel, takes us on a wild ride through Paris with a helluva lot of hate, judging by the huge body count throughout his film. This is a buddy movie pitched to young male adolescents who aren’t likely to pay any attention to the ‘real’ world currently obsessed with terrorist paranoia.
The setting is Paris and we get a bird’s eye view in the opening credits as we enter the world of government agents on an anti-terrorism peace mission. Young Agent Reece, played with a rather dodgy accent by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is desperate to rise above his ‘safe’ daily duties. He is given the task of picking up a rogue agent from the airport with orders to team up with him. Are we to believe that this is yet another attempt on the part of the USA to make another part of the world a safe place?
Here, John Travolta (Charlie Wax), is playing an unorthodox CIA operative. His look is to be seen to be believed… a bit like Mr T, with a bald head. He bursts on screen using a volley of expletives which make him come across as a very ugly American indeed. In fact, you have to suspend your disbelief when he finally gets to exit customs with Reece’s assistance. Charlie’s attitude alone would be enough to put any immigration officer off-side.
The moment they hit the ground running, they go on a roller-coaster ride which includes shooting up a Chinese restaurant infiltrated by Asian gangsters. It’s a bit like watching a John Woo film on speed, but in this case, we get to see clichés flying all over the screen, along with the bullets. And, they keep on rolling as we reach the Projects.
In the early scenes in the film, we are introduced to Reece’s squeeze played by Kasia Smutniak (Carolina), who pops the question to him and places a ring on his finger which belonged to her dear departed father. Oh, how liberating… until we discover that all good things in this film come with an ulterior motive. It gets worse when Reece declares his love to his fiancé; we realize that this convoluted act of passion is all about keeping us confused until the final shoot-out.
There are some funny gags, but they are few and far between. To be fair, Travolta has moments as he did in Old Dogs, where he wallowed on another level of mediocrity. For example, his reference to Royales - the French name for a Big Mac, a direct gag from Pulp Fiction - does actually work. However, there are not enough moments to place this film anywhere above ‘P’ for pathetic on your local video shelf, where it may get an airing in the future, on a Friday night with the lads, after a boozy session at the pub.