From Paris with Love

Maybe it’s because I set my expectations really low or perhaps the trailers and TV spots I had watched looked like complete crap but I actually enjoyed myself with From Paris with Love. I know I even dogged it on last week’s Breachcast but I can’t tell you how delicious my words tasted while I sat for 90 minutes and had John Travolta cramming them down my throat. ¬†You heard me, I liked this movie damn it. ¬†And I’m here to tell you that you should at least give it a chance.

The story is by far the weakest element of the film so I’ll get that out of the way. ¬†There’s really nothing here you haven’t seen before- two “buddies” are paired through unusual means and forced to work together to stop a terrorist plot. ¬†As per usual, one of the dudes is the grizzled, anti-hero played by a veteran actor (John Travolta) and the other is an up and comer in the world of terrorist resolution. ¬†The newbie is James Reese, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. ¬†We meet him as he’s just become engaged to his wife and given a new assignment that’s supposed to get him¬†the promotion. ¬†The assignment, of course, is way more than he bargained for. ¬†Like I said, this is not some revelation in film plot but it works. ¬†I also liked that it didn’t force feed information to you and moved at a rather brisk pace. ¬†That said, I’m sure some could feel lost at times but this in no way would curtail your enjoyment of the movie.

So let’s get right down to the elephant in the room: no, Travolta does not suck in this movie. ¬†I know, I was surprised myself. ¬†But from the moment we’re introduced to this Charlie Wax character as he bitches at a customs agent in France, you know that this isn’t the normal character Travolta plays. ¬†I mean, we’ve had the goofy bad guy Travolta from films like Broken Arrow or Face/Off. ¬†But this early sequence does a nice job of proving that not only is Wax a bad ass, you can believe Travolta’s portrayal of the character. ¬†I will say though, the viewer’s ability to actually buy into this role/performance hinges greatly on their overall satisfaction with the final product. ¬†For the record and as you might have guessed, the previews led me to believe that Travolta would not work here. ¬†The difference maker is all the non-rated R dialog you hear in those snippets. ¬†Seeing the unhinged Travolta as he spews profanity and kills “one terrorist per hour” certainly convinces me of his legitimacy as Charlie Wax.

Speaking of killing, holy shit does this movie go nuts. ¬†In one sequence bodies are literally falling from the ceiling and the baddies are dispatched one after the other. ¬†There’s even an Asian gang that just simply accosts Wax and Rees and they end up as nothing more than padding for the film’s body count. There is a frenetic and fresh technique to the action that easily sells itself to you. ¬†And with the exception of the aforementioned gang and one of the car explosions, the action serves to further the story. ¬†Director Pierre Morel (District B13, Taken) has a great way of making these sequences flow rather nicely and they’re never boring. ¬†My guess is that if anything turns you off it’s that the climax doesn’t necessarily occur during what you might call an “action sequence” but instead completes an emotional arc for one of the characters.

That’s another thing I really dug. ¬†You might consider this a bit of a spoiler so skip this paragraph if necessary. ¬†About half way through the film is what I would refer to as a “game changing plot twist.” ¬†I could kind of see it coming but the way it’s introduced into the story is rather jarring so I really liked it. ¬†The delivery totally caught me off guard and introduced an emotional element to the film that I really wasn’t expecting at all. ¬†Things like this have been tried in other movies and failed miserably. ¬†At this point it’s safe to say that Morel is three for three in his directorial outings so it is no surprise that he’s able to handle this with ease.

I know I’m probably building this movie up beyond reasonable expectation but I really did enjoy myself. ¬†As soon as I got out of the theater I texted Adam and told him that we were wrong about it and that he really should go check it out. ¬†I’ll tell you this much: while everyone would have you believe that The Book of Eli is some really awesome action flick, it doesn’t hold a candle to From Paris with Love. ¬†Ignore the previews and check it out. ¬†Highly recommended and totally worth your time.

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