From Paris with Love (2010)

Director:

Pierre Morel

Writers (WGA):

Adi Hasak (screenplay)
Luc Besson (story)

Release Date:

5 February 2010 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Two agents. One city. No merci.

Plot:

In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador hooks up with an American spy looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.

Plot Keywords:

Ambassador | Terrorist | Murder | Spy | Escape Plan

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Travolta	...	Charlie Wax
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	James Reece
Kasia Smutniak	...	Caroline
Richard Durden	...	Ambassador Bennington
Yin Bing	...	M. Wong
Amber Rose Revah	...	Nichole
Eric Godon	...	Foreign Minister
François Bredon	...	The Thug
Chems Dahmani	...	Rashid (as Chems Eddine Dahmani)
Sami Darr	...	The Pimp
Julien Hagnery	...	Chinese Punk
Mostéfa Stiti	...	Dir Yasin
Rebecca Dayan	...	Foreign Minister's Aide
Michaël Vander-Meiren	...	Airport Security Official
Didier Constant	...	Customs Official

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

France

Language:

English | French | Mandarin | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #45826) | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Taiwan:R-12 | Japan:R15+ | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:15 | Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Brazil:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hong Kong:IIA

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Europa Corp.

Trivia:

This is a spy genre film and it is interesting to note that the title of the earlier film To Paris with Love (1955) is said to have been the inspiration for James Bond creator Ian Fleming for the title of his 1957 James Bond spy novel, "From Russia With Love" which was later made into the film From Russia with Love (1963).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wax and Reece are in the SUV following the waiter from the Chinese restaurant, the vehicle is wet, but close up shots of them inside the SUV, the windows are dry.

Quotes:

[first lines]
James Reece:[accepts printout] Thank you, Cindy.
Secretary:Welcome...
James Reece:[reading] African Aid Summit prep meeting with the Foreign Minister tomorrow at noon, Summit Conference on Wednesday, G8 Undersecretary conference dinner on Thursday, and a reception for the Secretary of State Friday, sir.
Ambassador Bennington:Can't you see we have more urgent matters to consider, Reece?
[moves his queen]
James Reece:Of course, sir.
[counter moves his queen]
James Reece:Check.
Ambassador Bennington:Must you always be so methodical?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

Another Day

A Fun Way To Spend 90 Minutes.

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.