From Paris With Love

The last time wesaw John Travolta, he was the grinning sociopath who hijacked the subway in The Taking of Pelham 123. He continuesto burnish his reputation as a cartoon-size bad man in From Paris With Love, this time as a good bad man. As the grinningsociopath called Charlie Wax, Travolta plays a bullet-headed, bulletproofAmerican agent whose war on terrorism is so out of bounds that no agency couldpossibly claim him as its own. But like any good Hollywoodaction hero, he gets the job done.

From Paris With Love is also a stock odd-couple buddy picture, pairingthe pedal-to-the-metal Wax with a cautious sidekick, Reese (Jonathan RhysMeyers), an aid to the U.S.ambassador in Paris.Wax has brawn to burn, but occasionally Reese’s brains come in handylike whenWax needs someone to translate his death threat to a Chinese drug lord. Meyersplays capably; Reese is a sensitive soul with a patina of sophistication, asexy French girlfriend and the ambition to be accepted in the cloak-and-daggerdomain of special operations.

Working with Waxis Reese’s big chance. But Travolta’s motor-mouthed agent, who can kill a dozenmen to the beat of a turbo metal soundtrack without cracking a sweat, is morethan Reese was prepared for. In one scene, Reese stares pensively at his ownblood-splattered reflection in the mirror. The twitch of conscience passesaltogether too quickly as the bumbling attaché learns the spy trade in abonkers, whirlwind killing spree on the streets of Paris.

From Paris With Love includes a couple of nods to Hitchcock, butdirector Pierre Morel is more the prince of surprise than the master ofsuspense. The plaster-shattering firefight on the dark floor of a mannequinfactory looks cool, but can’t hold a candle to its inspiration, the fun-housegun battle in Orson Welles’ Lady FromShanghai. The real problem with FromParis With Love is not its pastiche of cinematic influences, but apreposterously stupid plot reveling in carnage, xenophobia, fiery explosionsand squealing tires.

The best thing about From ParisWith Love, aside from its brevity, is Travolta, who tears into hissuper-sized role with gusto. He’s having a great time as a grinning sociopathcutting a swath of destruction in the name of battling radical jihad and itsallies. He looks like a gangbanger, but loves Tony Bennett’s rendition of theold Carpenters hit “Close to You.” He’s a character, all right.