Imagine playing a game of chess with a worthy U.S. ambassador of the CIA. You choose a path: the white pieces represent the FBI operative agents, or the dark pieces represent the terrorists. Take this game one step further and notice that with every move that was being made, the chessboard had a mind of its own. The pieces came to life and everyone’s lives are at stake, but only this time humanity was on the line. There is only one way to escape: checkmate!
In essence, the open scene to From Paris With Love shows Ambassador Bennington (Richard Durden), losing a game of chess to James Reese (Johnathan Rhys Meyers), an American employee that possess intensity and an engaging personality. Reese, is assigned a partner who is an undercover spy that lived in Paris France, Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a no-nonsense throw-out-the-rulebook senior FBI agent working to stop an intricate web of Chinese drug dealers and Pakistani terrorists. Wax turns Paris into hell by shooting the terrorist organization and gleefully firing a rocket launcher from a bridge during rush hour. To his credit, Travolta gives his all in this role with his bald head and incredible rudeness.
The eye-candy actress Caroline (KasiaSmutniak), Reese’s fiancée, gives him a ring in From Paris With Love to show her devotion to him. However, ensuing actions show that hell hath no fury like a woman scorn, with Reese and Wax finding death at their doorstep. Intense battles rage between terrorists and the “good guys” in this escalating dramatic thriller.
In the end, the chess game analogy played out in an unexpected way. At a summit, Reese saw the King Ambassador Bennington and, in a metaphorical final scene, chaos ensued between the lovers, Wax, and the Chinese terrorists. While this movie may not have a romantic happy ending, I recommend this movie to anyone who likes being a detective and enjoys hand-to-hand combat.
Pierre Morel, director of From Paris With Love, made the movie suspenseful by turning a game of chess into a reality. He also added humor to the movie by making the characters have colorful personalities. I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, and I would definitely see it again. I also liked John Travolta’s darker side; it made the movie standout more. Travolta joining this cast of great actors kept me interested and made me really enjoy the detective genre.
