Desde París con amor

A young spy who wants to get bigger and better jobs is partnered with an American hot head with a foul mouth and a love for violence. The mission is to stop some terrorists.

To say I was expecting crap would be an understatement. Travolta's goofy look, a tired clichéd pairing of straight man and crazy partner, senseless action that would try to cram a plot and story in at some point. Yet, after the credits rolled, I sat there with a smile on my face. As far as spy films go, this one takes a more action heavy side. There are some cool and interesting gadgets, but I didn't get any James Bond moment.

Travolta surprised me here too. His character was funny, bad ass at times and knew how to kick some ass. The only downside would be that I just couldn't imagine Travolta doing half of these things. He's a great character and fits perfectly with this film, but it seems a tad miscast for the action sequences. Travolta nails every other part of the role. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is the straight man to Travolta's crazy hero. This is nothing new and the film doesn't try to step around this issue. Instead it is upfront about it. It tells you exactly what you are in for when you are introduced to these characters. All it asks is for you, as a viewer, to enjoy the action and thrills this film wants to give you.

The action is non-stop. Of course we are privy to those scenes in between where we need to move the plot along, but the film has shootouts, car chases, foot chases, rocket launchers, etc. It's handled well and I was actually able to see the action on the screen. I was never lost in the film, I knew where I was the whole time and what was being depicted. Again, that one shortfall is that we know Travolta isn't doing these action sequences, it's clearly a stuntman.

With every spy film you know there will be some twist that someone is not who they seem to be. I was able to pick this one out right from the beginning. Again, the plot devices used in From Paris With Love are far from original, we have all seen this film before. So why bother watching it? For the chemistry between the two leads and the action sequences in a beautiful city. The city, we unfortunately, did not see enough of.

I went in with low expectations and came out happy with the end result. I would suggest you do the same.

Pierre Morel & Luc Besson delivered one of the best action films of the last decade, Taken. Even people who typically despise the action genre were won over by it. So where do Pierre & Besson head from here? They made the move to appeal solely to the action fan base. From Paris With Love is made for genre fans, not your average movie-goer. The first 20 minutes are spent with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and it feels a little slow. Once John Travolta's character comes into the story the film takes off like a roller-coaster. His charisma gives the film an extra kick and it gives much of the action a new flavor. Once the fun starts it doesn't stop. Whenever you think this film is slowing down it's really getting ready for the next shootout. You're on the edge of your seat until the very end. Actually, one of my two complaints is the end (I won't spoil anything). Let's just say the last 5 minutes feel a little rushed. If you loved going to the theater to see Live Free Or Die Hard, Rambo, & Taken than this is for you.

A personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend, but his real passion is his side job as a low-level operative for the CIA. All James wants is to become a bona fide agent and see some real action. So when he's offered his first senior-level assignment, he can't believe his good luck - until he meets his new partner, special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta)...

From Paris With Love is an unrealistic, over-the-top action flick. The plot is extremely silly, the story quite implausible, and the action scenes are absolutely ridiculous not to mention that you can see the twist coming from the beginning.Both Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers deliver good performances and they had good chemistry but at the same time their characters are paper-thin and were poorly written. Something that appalled me was the editing of the film and the transition between some scenes. I thought it was rather choppy and not something I would expect from experienced directors like Luc Besson and Pierre Morel. The film does have its moments and can be quite entertaining at times but if you're expecting something along the lines of Morel's last film, Taken, which was a well thought and realistic action-thriller then you're gonna be extremely disappointed. Recommended for action junkies only.

6/10

Would I watch this movie again? Yes I was not sure what to expect from this movie. But, I decided to watch it. And long and behold, its one which you should not miss if you are into guy movies like me. Lots of action, good lines, fast pace and a bit of a story. What else can a guy ask for? More hot chick scene? Action: Travolta has all the moves and faster then all the bullets which blast by him. He kicks butt and then some.

Speech and dialogue: There were one liners, yes. But the fast talking Travolta was entertaining and was very complimentary with his co-stars Chemistry and pace: The characters were good with each other. Meyers and wife was good. Made me believe. The action and fast talking move the movie along. From building to building, it was good to have different locations to kill bad guys.

Story and Plot: Its all there in the synopsis, where a guy wants more action and he got it.

Hotties and love scenes: just one simple scene

Ending: Ending is good as I feel like it completed the movie. No real loose ends. (I hate movies where the ending leaves you dissatisfied)

It's John Travolta like you have never seen him before. Here he is Mister Action, the ultimate Tough Guy, the new Bruce Willis but with more flair. The story itself is not particularly noteworthy. But there is lots of action as Travolta shows everyone who's boss in this action-packed special effects extravaganza. Also there is non-stop violence with Mr. Travolta leading the way. If you like movies with stories that feature nonstop violence, then this movie is for you. If you like John Travolta, this movie is for you. But in terms of the story, don't expect too much from this movie. Remember: it's a commercial product so at some point artistic merit inevitably gives way to the usual dose of special effects that Hollywood spews out like clockwork. Hooray for John Travolta and Hollywood!