Paris. James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the US Ambassador’s(Richard Durden) assistant As far as the ambassador is concerned, James is the perfect assistant. He is timely, efficient and organized. He speaks foreign languages and he is a great chess player. What the ambassador doesn’t know is that Reece is also trying to be a spy in the name of the American government. Sure, it is patriotism but it is enough to make Reece’s life complicated. He needs to do secret tasks in front of his boss or he needs to leave his beloved girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) behind to leave for an operation.
Reece’s most important and dangerous mission to date arrives when he is asked to drive American Charlie Wax around. He is a field-rated spy and is very unconventional, to say the least. Pretty soon, Reece finds himself in the middle of shootings, gang beatings, prostitutes and their pimps…He is freaked out. Before he can get used to one hectic and deadly situation, another one breaks out. ..
Fun. This movie was really fun. Before I say why you should see it, I want to talk about what you might not like.
Cons:
*If you want to look for poor character development (Caroline)or some unrealistic situations, you will find it.
* And you might be bothered that almost none of the criminals/terrorists are white. The bad guys are either black or Asian or Pakistani. Our two Americans are out to save the day….But if you can past this, the movie is a real riot.
* You might think that John Travolta’s bad ass characters seem incredibly similar.
Pros:
*John Travolta. His character is so much fun. And if you do think you may have seen him as a bad ass one two many times, start thinking about his good roles and then you will appreciate the range After all, he was in the ever popular musical Grease. He was in Saturday Night Fever. He did comedy and romance in Look Who’s Talking He played a governor in Primary Colors. And do remember that he played an angel in Michael and a woman in Hairspray. Add that all up and it becomes even more fun to watch him.
* Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He is a good actor. So far he played King Henry, Elvis, a social-ladder climber, a misunderstood bad boy, a girls’ team football coach and more.
* Action. Tons of it! The story belongs to Luc Besson, the guy who created the Taxi series and Taken.
*The chemistry between John and Jonathan’s characters. The opposites are entertaining.
Favorite Scenes:
Well, almost any scene where John Travolta is kicking ass – especially the car chase with a “heavier metal”.
6.4. on IMDB. If you start analyzing characters and plot, it might very well be a 6. But if you don’t, it is at least a 7. It is mindless action and it is pretty damned good at that. And is it just me, or does Travolta still look at home in action movies?
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