PLOT: A young American embassy analyst (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), living in Paris, is teamed up with a loose canon spy (John Travolta), in order to foil a terrorist plot.
REVIEW: FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is the latest Luc Besson/Europa Corp production. In many ways, this company is like our generation’s Cannon Films, and I don’t mean that as an insult. They produce quick, fun action flicks, and if you’ve seen any number of their previous films, you’ll know exactly what to expect.
FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is obviously intended to be John Travolta’s TAKEN, and while this isn’t quite up to the level of that film, it’s nonetheless a fun ride which gives Travolta his best role in at least ten years. It’s been a rough road for Travolta lately, and I’d argue that his last truly solid film was A CIVIL ACTION, which came out twelve years ago. Since then, it’s just been crappy film after crappy film, but, luckily- he’s got a pretty slick action vehicle with this flick.
In order to give him the bad-ass edge he’s been lacking over the last decade, the filmmakers have radically altered Travolta’s look, with him sporting a shaved head, a goatee, and a noticeably slimmer waistline. He gets to kick some serious ass here, with him blowing away at least thirty baddies, while throwing in the occasional quick hand-to-hand fight, and even a nifty parkour chase. There’s also a great shout-out to PULP FICTION that I’m not going to spoil here.
For the most part, I had a blast with FROM PARIS WITH LOVE. It’s the same type of cheesy, turn-your-brain-off action flick they use to churn out regularly in the eighties, complete with a hard R-Rating. For what it is, FROM PARIS is a blast. Sure, the plot doesn’t make a lick of sense, but who cares? Just sit back and enjoy the carnage.
RATING: 7/10