Product Details

• Actors: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
• Directors: Pierre Morel
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lionsgate
• DVD Release Date: June 8, 2010
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002ZG97O2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,987 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "From Paris with Love" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An uncomplicated, moderately entertaining action film, From Paris With Love offers an enthusiastic performance by John Travolta as a just-this-side-of-crazy agent and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) as the low-level operative newly partnered with him. Outwardly an aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reese (Rhys Meyers) is also a low-level CIA operative, tasked with generally mundane duties. Then his inside contact offers him a high-level assignment that could lead to a promotion to full agent. All Reese has to do is drive CIA agent Charlie Wax (Travolta) around Paris on an undisclosed mission. But Wax is a shoot first, don't bother with questions kinda guy, and the straitlaced Reese quickly finds himself riding shotgun to a killing-spree through Paris' underground drug sub-culture. The drugs lead the obviously opposite duo to a hidden terrorist cell, and they race to stop the suicide bombers' plot. Wax's wise-cracking, one-on-many fight scenes are adequately entertaining--especially when he flings bad guys down a curving staircase, as Reese tries to avoid getting hit by the bodies--but the action generally leaves you wanting more. An undesirable characteristic in an action movie. Based on a story by Luc Besson, (The Fifth Element and The Transporter movies), one can't help wonder if the complexity of the story and characters could have been improved if he'd written the screenplay himself. However, the simplistic story offers a few surprises and laugh-worthy one-liners. The climactic final chase scene--Agent Wax hanging out the window of a speeding Audi, armed with heavy artillery and a driver with nerves of steel, as he attempts to stop one phase of the planned attack--is as impossible as one could hope for in this kind of movie. And hearing Travolta call his burger a “royale with cheese” is almost worth the rest of the movie. --Jill Corddry

Stills from From Paris with Love (Click for larger image)

Product Description

James Reece (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to France, is secretly moonlighting as a low-level CIA operative. Looking for more action, Reece accepts a job that teams him with wise-cracking special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a trigger-happy loose cannon sent to Paris on a mission of international importance. Now, Reece finds himself on the wildest ride of his life as the new partners pull out all the stops to annihilate the enemy in this explosive, white-knuckle, non-stop thriller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting with lots of twists! February 7, 2010

By Stephen Ashley VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

From Paris With Love was an entertaining ride, with plenty of "edge of your seat" moments, humor, and lots of action. The plot kept twisting and turning, bringing one surprise after the other, which made it really interesting. Travolta was dynamic, fun and believable as a seemingly crazy but very able operative/spy. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was excellent in the role of the newbie operative who was fairly innocent and very inexperienced, but still smart. It was a far cry from the authority and power he exudes as King Henry in the Tudors series, which means to me that he's a capable actor.

There were short periods when the movie seemed to lag a bit, though once things got going, the exciting parts more than made up for anything less than exciting. There was a lot of killing going on with plenty of blood, but despite this, none of it was very graphic or terribly disturbing. Regardless, this is not a movie I'd bring the kids to. It's definitely an adult flick for a mature audience.

I'd recommend this movie for those who enjoy action or spy thrillers. I think it would even be a DVD worth owning.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun movie! June 11, 2010

By Judy K. Polhemus TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I confess right here, right now that I loved "From Paris With Love"! John Travolta is the reason why!

For the sake of simplicity, here are my reasons:
1. After the initial, necessarily slow set-up to establish back story with Jonathan Rhys Meyers' character, the action is non-stop!
2. John Travolta! He plays a commando-type sent on secret mission assignments and allowed to act without protocol! He is the reason for the action.
3. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is the spy wannabe, the complete opposite to Travolta--refined, debonair, rule follower, diplomatic assistant.
4. Weapons in cans!
5. Fighting scenes! In fact, these scenes remind me of Matt Damon's films. There's a big difference though: Matt Damon's fights are carefully choreographed with the entire fight (seemingly) shown, whereas Travolta's are shown in snippets. Why? Because John Travolta is too old and over-sized to actually fight. Note: These snippets are in my plus column. Even though he is not actually fighting, the illusion is there (for those who want to see fight scenes) that this old guy is really capable of defeating so many opponents.
6. Bad guys (drug dealers, pimps, and terrorists) are no match for Travolta's character at any time! Hero played Large! (Hero from my point of view as American, potential-victim-of-terrorism, along with delegations from all over the world)
7. The unsuspected terrorist agent!
8. Watching the diplomatic assistant gradually become spy worthy.
10. An action-oriented Big Play Hero who also plays chess!

What I didn't like about the movie:
1.

What a great summer movie, exactly one kind of summer hits: fun, engaging, entertaining, action-filled (nonstop), heroic-but-unconventional characters, violence so unbelievable that the viewer knows it is not real but pretends it is for this movie, and satisfying ending. (Oh, the other kind? Romantic and tame!)

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars NON STOP but missing something June 10, 2010

By Chris Kennison VINE™ VOICE

Format:Blu-ray

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE is not without merit because it does have the gift of a great performance by John Travolta who can play Edna in HAIRSPRAY and turn around and play bad mouthed, gonna put a hole in ya' Charlie Wax in FROM PARIS WITH LOVE. It also has constant action, and if you like that sort of thing then you'll be rewarded with a movie that holds your interest.

Yet, when its over, you won't need to watch it again, because it isn't that kind of movie. You can't help but think throughout the movie, that some scenes were missing. Either that or Luc Besson scraped the typical plot of most action movies and decided to focus his screenplay on a subplot.

While the movie is about stopping terrorism, most of the movie is about the relationship between Charlie Wax (Travolta) & James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) & whether or not Reece has it in him to kill. Also, most of the movie is taken up by chasing down a drug ring. Eventually, toward the end of the movie, we discover the true reason why we're watching. A terrorist target.

The movie is 90 minutes of mayhem, bullets and Travolta putting holes in people or just finding creative ways to send people to the hereafter. If you're looking for a story, it is vague and you can't help but wander that Luc Besson intended that. Yet, because of that, it's a movie that is and will be easily forgotten.