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From Paris with Love

6/10

Stars: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden, Alexandra Boyd, Melissa Mars

Director: Pierre Morel

A blast of action, badly marred by an unfortunate final scene, this is nothing like the romantic comedy you might expect from the title. Rhys Meyers, with convincing American accent and rather less convincing pencil moustache, is a US government agent in Paris who aspires to field work.

He gets his chance as partner to maverick CIA operative Charlie Wax (Travolta), whose assignment to rid the city of drug dealers leads to him shooting up half of Paris and masks his real intention: to thwart an Arab-based plot to blow up a gathering of world leaders.

The body count is enormous as Travolta blasts restaurants and drug dens alike, and the film is guilt-free escapist fare up to that disastrous last reel. It seems impossible that a suicide bomber could get past the security as shown, while the confrontation between Rhys Meyers and the bomber sees the tension evaporate into laughter at an alarming rate. Still, Travolta enjoys himself, and so will action fans - for 80 minutes at least.

David Quinlan

France/Belgium 2009. UK Distributor: Warner Brothers. Colour by Eclair.
91 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 21 Feb 2010