In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador hooks up with an American spy looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.
James Reece is an ambitious aide to the U.S. Ambassador in Paris, doing little jobs for the CIA and hoping to get into black ops. On the night he and his girlfriend, Caroline, become engaged, he's told to pick up Charlie Wax at Orly. Charlie is an unorthodox government employee - large, bald and bearded, foul-mouthed and eccentric. Charlie immediately takes James on a wild ride of murder and mayhem, through ethnic enclaves. As bodies pile up, the purpose remains opaque to James. Caroline, unhappy that James has been out of touch for a day, tells him to bring Charlie for dinner. Charlie can be charming - where will it lead? Does the chess-playing James have what it takes?—<[email protected]>
Aspiring to become a seasoned CIA operative, the personal aide to the U.S. ambassador in France, James Reese, is summoned to pick up the trigger-happy secret agent, Charlie Wax: his new partner. Against the backdrop of a dangerous and undisclosed mission in the bustling Parisian metropolis, suddenly, the death toll will start to rise, as Charlie prefers to shoot first and ask questions later. Now, in this adrenaline-charged roller-coaster, the stakes are high, and the enemy is everywhere. Is there room for two agents in the same city? In the end, is this the life James truly wants?—Nick Riganas
The assistant of the American Ambassador in Paris James Reece is an aspirant spy working in minor jobs for the CIA. James lives with his fiancée Caroline and expects to be promoted to the special operations. When James is assigned to drive the unconventional but efficient agent Charlie Wax in Paris, James learns that a terrorist cell is preparing to attack the American delegation and he is close to the key element that will explode the group of representatives of his government.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend, but his real passion is his side job as a low-level operative for the CIA. But even here, he is relegated to menial jobs such as changing registration plates of cars and to handle security for the Ambassador. He only watches from a distance when field agents of the CIA come in secretly to use the logistics set up by Reese and proceed to complete their assignments.Reese wants to become a higher-level agent with more responsibilities. Reese wants to be considered for the special operations assignments for the CIA.As the result of a shortage of agents in France, he is assigned as a partner to special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta). Reese is told that if he can pull this job, he would be considered as part of the special ops club.Just before leaving for his new assignment, Reese's girlfriend Caroline gifts him a ring, which she says belonged to her father.
Reese's first test is to have Wax released from airport detention by the French Customs when Wax does not want to surrender the cans of his favorite energy drink. Despite the apparent triviality of an energy drink that Wax could probably purchase in Paris, Wax continues to verbally abuse French Customs until Reese places a Diplomatic Mail sticker on Wax's luggage containing the energy drink, which makes them immune from Customs and Quarantine requirements.
Once in the car, Wax apologizes for his behavior while opening the tins and revealing the concealed pieces of his personal SIG Sauer, which he refers to as "Mrs. Jones".Wax asks Reese to drive him to a Chinese restaurant. Once there, Wax starts a shootout with the restaurant staff, who are very well armed themselves. After everybody is dead, Wax reveals that the restaurant is a hub for supplying cocaine to the city.
Wax explains that he has been sent to Paris to investigate a drug ring at least indirectly responsible for the death of a woman (the woman overdosed on drugs at a party) who happens to be the niece of the Secretary of Defense.Wax and Reese follow the surviving waiter to the owner Mr. Wong (Yin Bing) of the restaurant. Wax confronts the owner and gets the name of the person who supplies the cocaine to his restaurant.
During the investigation, Wax reveals that there was no overdose-their goal is to trace the money back to a circle of Pakistani terrorists.Wax takes Reese to a brothel, controlled by a Pakistani, and enters it pretending to be a customer. Reese sees Caroline in that part of town and is worried that she will judge him as he was seen with Wax and a prostitute. Wax says that Reese should ask what Caroline was doing in that part of town.Wax observes the Pakistani withdrawing money from a next-door bank in a large carry bag and decides to pursue him.Evidence leads them to the hide out of the terrorists, resulting in an armed confrontation in which most of the terrorists are neutralized.Wax and Reese learn that the terrorists plan to infiltrate the U.S. Embassy with explosives hidden beneath their burkas. As they collect evidence, they find photographs of Agent Reese pinned to a wall.
Wax and Reese hide at Caroline's apartment and meet one of her friends. Wax is told by his handlers that the friend's number was found on the cell phone of every dead terrorist found that day. Wax shoots down Caroline's friend.Wax discovers that Reese's fiance Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) is a "sleeper" agent who was assigned to infiltrate them. Caroline was able to track Wax and Reese through the ring that she gave him earlier that week.When confronted, Caroline shoots Reese in the shoulder and escapes through a window. A Volvo picks her up on the street below.
Going through Caroline's apartment he finds the drawings of a burqa, Reese learns that the terrorists are targeting an African AID summit meeting, to which Reese had access.Wax goes after the car in which Caroline escaped, while Reese heads to the summit. Wax tells Reese that Caroline is likely to be wearing a shock activated vest, and so Reese will have to shoot her in the head.
Caroline attempts to detonate an explosive vest while the last remaining terrorist in the Volvo attacks a US motorcade traveling to the summit by speeding towards them, wired with explosives. Wax destroys the vehicle with an AT4 rocket launcher just in the nick of time. Reese finds Caroline at the summit and attempts to dissuade her from carrying out her mission by professing his love. She attempts to detonate her vest anyway and Reese is forced to kill her.
As Wax leaves Paris, Reese escorts him to his plane. Wax offers a full-time partnership. The two play a game of chess on the tarmac, placing their handguns on a utility cart, Reese revealing that he is now carrying a Desert Eagle pistol and earning another modicum of admiration from his new partner.
