From Paris with Love

It might be unfair for me to review this film without saying that Luc Besson is one of my heroes. He is one of the most prolific and talented filmmakers making action films these days.

Luc Besson did not direct this film, he wrote it, but his marks can be seen all over this picture. Other of his written films include: The Transporter 1,2,3, District B13 1 and 2, Revolver, Taken, Unleashed, Angel-A, The Fifth Element, Leon the Professional, and literally dozens more. What a genius.

He hasn’t directed a film in a few years. But who cares? His filmmaking finger print can be felt on all his fun and brainless action pictures. I frequently quote Transporter 2 as the finest action film ever made. Why? It is short, action-packed, utterly stupid, and is proud of it. No action movie needs to be longer than an hour and twenty minutes. None. Zip. Well, maybe something by John Woo or with Jackie Chan acting in it…but still.

This film follows James Reese (Jonathan Rhy Meyers) who lives in Paris and dreams of being a CIA agent. Don’t we all? He is offered a great assignment to work with a well respected special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta) who loves his job…to say the least. James quickly finds out this all might have been too good to be true.

Charlie is a lunatic. He shoots first and doesn’t even ask questions later. He is fearless and is amazing at his career choice. Which is to kill your way through a case.

James quickly finds out that he is the target of the terrorist he’s tracking, who are planning to suicide bomb a politic summit. It is ludricious, but why not?

I loved this movie. I really did. It is silly, fun, and the action is entertaining enough. At the center of the film is Travolta, who seems to be born to player trigger happy gunman.

I take issue with only one thing: The way the action is shot. This is a French movie, therefore, I assumed much of the action would take place uncut in front of the camera. Not quite the case, indeed.

Unfortunately, the director Pierre Morel cuts numerous times even in one punch or kick. Why do this? For low-budget films it is a necessity. Choreographing an entire fight sequence, uncut, is nearly impossible for money reasons.

The other reason is pacing: I call it “manufacturing intensity”. Which is most certainly fine. What would Hurt Locker have been without it? But take action films like Oldboy or Tony Jaa’s Ong-Bak. These films have hugely realistic fight scenes because the action is happening in front of the camera. Uncut. It drops are jaws. Take also Morel’s first film District B13 (one of my favorite action films) David Belle jumps from one building to another, without wires. We know it is real and love it.

That isn’t to say From Paris isn’t a good action movie. I’m just hoping France doesn’t start adopting that very trivial action style of American films. I always say: Mexicans know how to do the best drama, the French know how to do the best action pictures. Sorry Hong Kong.

Release date: February 2010

Collin  Says: B

You’ll say: C