A very amusing bit of foolishness...


6 out of 5.

that's not much of a review, Bradford

2/10 -> F

Painfully bad from start to finish. Bad plot, bad acting, bad direction, laughable script (dialogue). And somehow it even manages to be bad in good cheesy kind of a way.

From Paris with Love starts out as a fun, enjoyable action comedy. It's not taking itself too seriously but the plot can still be followed and can stay somewhat normal at times. Though as the third act rolls around, the fun comedy aspect is lost and it tries to become a tough action film which doesn't work. It also pulls in a typical "someone you knew betrayed you" plotline and almost makes the first two acts useless. Still, Travolta and and Rhys Meyers work well together and if some other points in the beginning and a different ending were put in place, this would of been a truly great action piece. **

Ooooh this was really bad.

A mediocre-to-poor action movie through and through. John Travolta seems to be having fun, but the over-the-top performance is exhausting. And Travolta, overweight and well into his 50s, is not a convincing action hero. It's clear heavy use was made of stunt doubles. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is even worse. He's miscast, goes in and out of a strange "American" accent, has no chemistry with Travolta, etc. Rhys Meyers is a fine actor and should never have done this. Perhaps the worst offense? Almost nothing is done with the Paris setting. Most of the action unfolds in anonymous warehouses and apartment buildings.

D

B+


I really don't know what you were expecting, guys. I am really surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reviews in this thread. I can understand someone not liking action flicks like this, but outright hating it...what exactly makes it worse than some standard action stuff?

Anyway...I actually dug it quite a bit and to me it was nearly on the same fun level as Taken, though definitely below Morel's debut District B13 (which is still one of the best pure action films of the last ten years). From Paris with Love offers a lot of what a true action fan loves. Exciting action scenes, nice one-liners, some delicious overacting by Travolta and good pieces of humor. While the film does have a serious streak in it, it never takes itself too seriously. I mean how could a movie featuring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers running around with a vase full of cocaine ever take itself seriously?! The interplay between Rhys-Meyers and Travolta is the highlight of the film, but I was actually surprised by how entertaining most of the film's action was.

It got a bit heavy-handed towards the end with Charlie's girlfriend turning out to be a terrorist, but before that it is just a nice ride that I'll gladly rewatch some time down the road. Pierre Morel now definitely confirmed that he's a new great talent of the action genre and I am very much looking forward to whatever project he'll tackle next.

Better than Taken, mostly because it doesn't take itself so deadly seriously. It's still weighed down by its lumbering plot, but Travolta's OTT performance and the terrific action sequences make it worth it. And it is very funny - if Travolta point-blank shooting a chick in the head for seemingly no reason at all doesn't make you laugh, then perhaps this isn't the movie for you.

Basically, it's that silly scene in Taken where Liam Neeson shoots his friend's wife in the leg, stretched out to an entire movie, only it actually realizes it's funny.

From Paris with Love

This film is totally crazy, but I kind of liked it. Travolta was his usual positively mental-self, ass-kicking without asking questions, and the film is a blast despite its bad acting (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and bad editing/camerawork/pacing/script. The story is insane, and how it unfolds is also incredibly stupid, but for a short 80-minute adrenaline shot, From Paris with Love hits the right note.

B-

Pretty sure I wrote a race review of this movie but it's not here!

I have seen it a few more times since my original review and I still enjoy the hell out of it. It's a blast!