Blu-Ray Review: ‘From Paris With Love’ a Cinematic Royale With Cheese

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CHICAGO – John Travolta always seems to be in a perpetual state of “coming back.” His various attempts at reinventing his screen persona seem to be driven less by artistic integrity than commercial desperation. The more macho and foul-mouthed he tries to be, the less convincing he is.

While Woody Harrelson has jump-started his career by mastering the art of tongue-in-cheek bravado, Travolta hasn’t even graduated into the realm of middle-aged hipness. It’s saying something when the best role of Travolta’s career in the last decade was Edna Turnblatt in “Hairspray.” “From Paris With Love” is easily his most unimaginative star vehicle since “Be Cool.” While that film paired Travolta and Uma Thurman just so they could dance again, this picture plants Travolta in “The City of Lights,” just so he can declare that his vice is still a “Royale With Cheese.” Emphasis on the cheese.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

“Paris” is the third directorial effort from veteran cinematographer Pierre Morel, who is beginning to cement his reputation as the Parisian Michael Bay. His debut feature, “District 13,” was bolstered by spectacular parkour choreography, while “Taken” was greatly aided by the fierce presence of Liam Neeson. But Morel has certainly demonstrated his own gift for framing action while maintaining a breakneck pacing. He simply needs good material to marry with his skills, but “Paris” provides him with neither a strong cast nor a compelling script. Travolta plays rowdy special agent Charlie Wax, who teams up with uptight CIA operative James (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) while on assignment in France. James expresses doubts about his trigger-happy partner while on the phone with his unseen boss, who orders, “Do exactly what Wax says!”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Travolta star in Pierre Morel’s From Paris With Love.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Travolta star in Pierre Morel’s From Paris With Love.
Photo credit: Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Morel has taken credit for his star’s new look, consisting of a shaved head and goatee, which looks relatively close to the look Travolta sported when he was equally miscast as the villain in “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” Travolta’s attempts at freewheeling macho exuberance come off as awkwardly as Meyers’s efforts to nail his American accent. With his steely eyes and unflagging seriousness, Meyers excels best when playing roles like the cold-blooded opportunist in “Match Point.” Here, he’s supposed to be the film’s relatable emotional center, but Meyers is fatally static, conveying all the emotion of the mannequins blowing up around him, during one of Morel’s endless derivative action sequences. Screenwriter Adi Hasak has no idea how to conceal his alarmingly obvious plot twist, and ends the film with a climax straight out of “The Naked Gun” (only this time, it’s not played for laughs).

From Paris With Love was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 8th, 2010.
From Paris With Love was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 8th, 2010.
Photo credit: Lionsgate Home Entertainment

“From Paris With Love” is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio), accompanied by English and French audio tracks (as well as Spanish subtitles), and includes a digital copy of the film. There’s a ho-hum pop-up trivia track and a rather pointless picture-in-picture commentary offering a feature-length view of Morel watching the movie while downing various beverages (his comments could’ve easily been confined to an audio track). He highlights the film’s various homages to everything from John Woo and the “Transporter” series to Travolta’s love of planes. A typical example of Morel’s probing insights: “For those of you who like body counts, we’re currently at 26. There’ll be more.” In a 26-minute making-of featurette, Travolta looks positively giddy about being in such an action-packed film, and admits that he couldn’t help giggling to himself while performing stunts usually done by men half his age.

The most interesting extra, by far, is the 16-minute featurette, “Spies, Spooks and Special Ops: Life Under Cover,” which includes interviews with actual CIA operatives, including John Kiriakou, who discusses his pride at capturing Al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah. The operatives discuss how they go about bugging a room, utilizing GPS devices, and balancing their separate lives. However, it’s silly to hear these mild-mannered professionals compare their work to a blood-drenched cartoon like “From Paris With Love.” Toward the end, the featurette becomes somewhat of a recruiting video, with the operatives encouraging kids to “try it out for two years.” The juxtaposition of this extra next to an ad for the International Spy Museum and a gallery of Wax’s glorified firearms is borderline offensive. The subliminal message aimed at young viewers is clear: join the CIA and blow s—t up!

‘From Paris With Love’ is released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment and stars John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden, Yin Bing, Amber Rose Revah and Eric Godon. It was written by Adi Hasak and directed by Pierre Morel. It was released on June 8th, 2010. It is rated R.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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