John Travolta used to be the big man on campus. Films like Pulp Fiction and Face Off displayed Travolta's talent of playing a tough character. Lately, however, his appearances in Hairspray, Wild Hogs, and most recently Old Dogs have turned Travolta into a joke. He has made a few attempts at a serious comeback lately, but nothing that really stuck. That is, until From Paris with Love. Though Travolta's recent history made me skeptical, his performance in this film made me a believer again, if only for a moment.

James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors) is the assistant for the US Ambassador to France in Paris.  Reese may appear to be a simple desk jockey, but when he gets the call...he is a desk jockey for the CIA (or something equivalent). After a slew of jobs consisting of placing microphones or changing license plates, Reese finally gets his big break. He is instructed to get secret agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta) through customs and assist him in the job he has been assigned. Little does Reese know, Charlie Wax is far from your typical spy.

As I mentioned earlier, it is hard to see Travolta as a tough guy thanks to his recent choices of roles. In From Paris with Love, however, he pulls off the part perfectly. He has just the right balance of intelligence and insanity to make the character both feared and likeable. I'm not sure how many, if any, of his own stunts he did, but whoever it was sure looked good doing them. Though at first the dialog seemed strange coming from Travolta, but as the story progressed it began to feel natural and he was believable as this hardened spy. The writers even snuck in an homage to pulp fiction that should put a smile on the faces of fans.

Rhys Meyers does a fantastic job as well and keeps the story grounded. For every over the top thing that Travolta does, Rhys Meyers matches it with a rookie move or frightened child reaction. His character slowly begins to grasp what it takes to be a spy but never fully leaves his niche as the brains to Wax's brawn. Though this type of character pairing is nothing new, these two actors prove why the formula works. They make quite the pair, and I would really like to see them in future films. Why stop with Paris? I would be fine with a few more From (country) with Love films if this director so chooses.

From Paris with Love is an over the top action film with a John Travolta we haven't seen in quite a while. Though it comes from the man who brought us The Transporter films (a series with mixed reviews) it mixes up that old formula enough to make it stand out. If you enjoy lots of action with minimal, yet understandable story, then From Paris with Love is for you. Otherwise you still might want to see it just for the new and improved John Travolta. He may not last very long.