Movie Reviews - September - 2010

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Luc Basson is somewhat of a hero of mine, ever since I saw what he did with ‘The Fifth Element’, and some critics refer to him as being the director who makes American action movies better than the Americans. ‘From Paris With Love’ is based on a story that Basson wrote, and director Pierre Morel takes it to the big screen.

If you liked films such as ‘The Transporter’ (first two only, though), then this is going to be right down your alley, jam-packed with non-stop, completely over-board action scenes full of bullets, explosions and bodies. Here, Rhys-Meyers is James Reece, secret agent in training who seems to spend most of his time playing chess with the American Ambassador.

But then enter killing machine Charlie Wax (Travolta), to whom James is assigned as driver, and things change very quickly. At first it seems as if Wax is there for a revenge killing, but pretty soon his real motives become clear as the body count mounts, along with the rampant destruction of property.

Loud and immensely fun. AR

FEATURES Widescreen, Dolby 5.1, trailers.

THE BOX

Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella

Although ‘The Box’ is advertised by way of the blurb at the rear of the jewel case as being a fairly straightforward case of moral choice, it does tend to wander at times, becoming more and more bizarre as things progress.

At face value, it’s a case of choice: Norma (Diaz) and Arthur (Marsden) are confronted one day by a creepy stranger, Arlington Steward (Langella), who leaves in their possession a box with a button, covered by glass. They are told to take a decision within 24 hours – break the glass, press the button and win a million Dollars in cash, in the process causing some stranger elsewhere in the world to die, or take to moral high ground and leave it alone.

Although the thought of killing someone repulses them, financial troubles and the growing belief that the whole idea that their pressing of the button could actually lead to someone’s murder is too implausible, the button is pressed. Which is where things really start to get weird, with the lightning-scarred Steward coming back into their lives, possible CIA involvement and friends of theirs developing strange illnesses. AR

FEATURES Widescreen, Dolby 5.1 and trailers.