From Paris with Love (R, 2010)

Director Pierre Morel clearly attended the school of buddy-cop action films. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE has nearly all the ingredients of an edge-of-your-seat thriller: carefully choreographed sequences, a torrent of fast-paced fights and chases, suspense. What’s lacking? First, a plot that, at the very least, isn’t so annoyingly convoluted as to distract from enjoying the movie in the first place. And chemistry between the two leads, which is passably awkward at best and tin-eared at worst. The partnership between James and Wax simply doesn’t fly -- a problem considering its metamorphosis is somewhat essential to the story.

As the rogue Wax, Travolta impresses with his enthusiasm. But we never once forget that we’re seeing Travolta playing “bad.” As for Rhys Meyers -- his American accent is full of holes, with Britishisms leaking out everywhere. Though he’s a fine actor, he doesn’t seem fully comfortable playing this role. But, really, the problem’s the plot, which panders to today’s terrorist fears. And though film buffs may appreciate the Quentin Tarantino reference made by, of course, Travolta, it’s yet another awkward moment in an overly violent, nuanced-starved enterprise. Discerning audiences aren’t likely to feel the love.