John Travolta has a shiny bald head. He’s wearing a goatee that looks like it was drawn on with a Sharpie, and he’s screaming about a Royale with Cheese while hanging out a car window with a rocket launcher. If you haven’t seen Desde París con Amor (or From Paris with Love, depending on where you’re watching), you’re missing out on the absolute peak of "Luc Besson-core" action cinema. It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s kinda ridiculous.
Released in 2010, this movie wasn't exactly a darling for critics. They called it shallow. They called it loud. Honestly? They weren't wrong, but they missed the point. Pierre Morel, the guy who directed Taken, brought that same frantic, bone-crunching energy to this film, but swapped Liam Neeson’s grim determination for Travolta’s unhinged charisma. It’s a buddy cop movie on speed.
The Weird Magic of the Wax and Reese Dynamic
The setup is basic. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays James Reese. He’s a low-level CIA operative living a cushy life in Paris. He wants more. He wants to be a "real" agent. Enter Charlie Wax. Travolta’s Wax is a human wrecking ball sent to Paris to stop a terrorist plot, and Reese is basically his babysitter.
Most movies like this try to make the partners bond over a shared hobby or a tragic past. Not here. Wax spends half the movie making fun of Reese’s "boring" life and the other half shooting everything that moves. It works because the chemistry is lopsided. Reese is terrified; Wax is having the time of his life. You’ve got this contrast between a guy who thinks espionage is about chess and a guy who knows it’s actually about high-caliber weaponry.
What People Get Wrong About Desde París con Amor
A lot of people dismiss this as just another mindless action flick. That's a mistake. If you look at the technical craft behind the stunts, it’s actually impressive. This was filmed right before the industry moved toward heavy CGI for everything. Those car chases through the streets of Paris? They’re real. The hits feel heavy. When Wax drops through a ceiling, you feel the dust.
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There's also a weirdly dark twist in the middle of the film involving Reese's girlfriend, Caroline, played by Kasia Smutniak. Without spoiling too much for the three people who haven't seen it, the movie shifts from a goofy action romp to something much more cynical. It’s a jarring tonal shift that most modern movies are too scared to try. They’d rather keep everything "on brand." This movie doesn't care about brands. It just wants to blow stuff up.
The Luc Besson Influence
You can't talk about Desde París con Amor without talking about EuropaCorp. This was the era when Luc Besson was churning out these lean, mean European action movies. The Transporter, District 13, Taken. They all have a specific "vibe."
- They are usually under 100 minutes.
- The protagonist is either a retired super-soldier or a complete psychopath.
- Paris is always the backdrop, but not the "Eiffel Tower at sunset" version. It's the gritty, back-alley, high-speed-chase version.
Besson’s formula was simple: take a Hollywood star, put them in a European setting with a French director who knows how to film a fight scene, and keep the dialogue to a minimum. It’s a lost art. Nowadays, action movies are three hours long and spend forty minutes explaining the "lore." Wax doesn't have lore. He has a gun and a bag of cocaine he uses as a prop.
Is it Culturally Relevant in 2026?
Actually, yeah. We’re seeing a resurgence in "Dad Cinema"—movies like John Wick or The Beekeeper that prioritize choreography over complex plotting. Desde París con Amor was the bridge between the 80s action hero and the modern tactical shooter. It doesn't take itself seriously, which is refreshing in an era where every superhero movie feels like a funeral.
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People search for this movie today because it represents a time when movies were allowed to be just fun. There’s no cinematic universe here. No post-credits scene setting up a sequel that will never happen. It’s a self-contained explosion.
The "Royale with Cheese" Nod
You can’t mention this movie without the Pulp Fiction reference. It’s meta. It’s a bit on the nose. Travolta eating a Quarter Pounder and talking about the name is a direct wink to his career-defining role as Vincent Vega. Some people hate it. They think it breaks the immersion. I think it’s hilarious. It’s the movie acknowledging that we’re all just here to see John Travolta be "John Travolta."
Why the Action Still Holds Up
Pierre Morel has a specific way of shooting close-quarters combat. It’s not the "shaky cam" mess that ruined the Bourne sequels. It’s fast, but you can see what’s happening. In the scene where Wax clears out a Chinese restaurant, the camera moves with him, not against him. It’s rhythmic. It’s almost like a dance, but with more broken glass and shell casings.
- Practical Effects: Most of the explosions use actual pyrotechnics. You can see the difference in how the light hits the actors' faces.
- Location Scouting: They used parts of Paris that aren't usually in tourist brochures. The housing projects, the dirty warehouses. It gives the film a "lived-in" grit.
- The Villain Twist: The stakes become personal for Reese, which grounds the absurdity of Wax’s character.
Looking Back at the Reception
When it dropped in February 2010, it made about $52 million. Not a huge hit, but it became a massive staple on cable TV and streaming. It’s the kind of movie you find on a Sunday afternoon and end up watching the whole thing even though you’ve seen it six times. It’s "comfort violence."
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Critics at the time, like Roger Ebert, were lukewarm. Ebert gave it two stars, saying it was "professional and well-made," but basically hollow. But that’s the thing—sometimes you want a hollow chocolate bunny. It tastes better than a dense fruitcake. The movie knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize for it.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Viewer
If you're going to revisit Desde París con Amor or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the Editing: Notice how the pace of the cuts matches Wax's heartbeat. When he's calm, the shots linger. When the shooting starts, the cuts become staccato.
- Don't Look for Logic: If you start asking how Wax gets away with half the stuff he does in public, the movie falls apart. Accept that he is a force of nature.
- Compare to 'Taken': Watch this and Taken back-to-back. You’ll see Morel’s growth as a director and how he uses the city of Paris as a character in two completely different ways.
- Check the Wardrobe: Travolta’s leather jacket and scarf combo is peak 2010 "badass" fashion. It’s a time capsule.
The real takeaway from the film isn't the plot. It’s the realization that action cinema doesn't always need to be deep to be effective. It just needs to be committed. Travolta is 100% committed to every insane line he delivers. Whether he's snorting "energy" off a table or shooting a sniper rifle from a moving Audi, he's all in. That kind of energy is infectious.
Instead of looking for a deep message about international relations or the ethics of spying, just enjoy the ride. It's a loud, messy, fast-paced relic of a time when movies were simpler. Sometimes, a bald John Travolta with a rocket launcher is exactly what the weekend calls for. Go find it on your favorite streaming service, turn up the volume, and don't think too hard about the physics of it all. It’s better that way.