Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
James Reese has a good job as an ambassador's aid in France, but his real passion is a side gig—working in a minor role in the CIA. He would love to be a full-fledged agent and can't believe his luck when he lands an assignment with Charlie Wax. Trigger-happy Charlie soon has James crying for his desk job, but when he learns that the same guys they're trying to catch are after him, James realises that Charlie may be his only hope of survival.
From Paris with Love is a formulaic buddy-action thriller that leans heavily on genre conventions without adding much new. John Travolta's over-the-top performance as Charlie Wax is the film's clear standout, bringing charismatic energy that elevates otherwise rote material. The plot is predictable, recycling familiar fish-out-of-water and odd-couple dynamics with a twist that telegraphs itself early. Cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable for a Luc Besson production. The ending resolves tensions in a by-the-numbers fashion with little dramatic weight. Novelty is low — it's a competent but generic entry in the action-thriller genre with nothing particularly distinctive about its conception or execution.