From Paris with Love

From Paris with Love, (not to be confused with Paris je t'aime, the collection of short films) is a 2010 action film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers  as a diplomatic assistant in France and part time CIA lackey who finally gets a taste of field action when he's asked to pick up the slightly off kilter agent Wax (a bald John Travolta).

From Paris with Love tries to be a comedic action spy thriller with political intrigue and liberal drug use.  Sure, it's got all those elements, but too many ingredients makes this pot of stew messy.  There a number of great lines or funny moments, but they get lost in a plot that is too often boring, confusing, or just pointless.  John Travolta's character is easily the best part of the movie and I wouldn't mind seeing a spin off just focusing on him and his non-kosher way of getting things done.

None of the other characters are memorable in any way, being pretty much generic, one dimensional bit parts, despite the fact that most of them have multiple facets.  How that was accomplished is beyond me.  I'm wracking my brain for anything else to say about this film but despite having seen it just a few days ago, it's already pretty much slipped my mind, which says more than I could write.

There's nothing horribly wrong about this movie, but it is completely and utterly forgettable in every way.  There were maybe four scenes worth seeing and half of them were already over emphasized in the trailers. 

Fans of Travolta, see it.  Everyone else, see it if you really have nothing better to do.  Like watching a better movie.

** (2/5 stars)