Paris (2003)
Paris follows rookie detective Jason Bartok on his disturbing journey through the shadowy underworld of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, illuminated only by a sweet but short-lived romance with a strikingly beautiful, enigmatic woman. As the tale unfolds, Jason accidentally shoots his corrupt partner, Leon, grabbing stolen money from the crime scene at the older policeman's urging. The guilt-ridden young man quickly takes to the road to track down Leon's lover, Linda/Shen Li, an illegal Chinese immigrant, to deliver the bag of cash to her. Jason's search takes in seedy motels and rough bars, an L.A. massage parlor and a Nevada ranch, until finally in a dingy Vegas dive, he discovers the irresistible Linda, a sparkling jewel ensnared by the sex trade. Stalked by thugs, the money's "rightful owners", Jason and Linda are thrust together to make their escape through the haunting landscape that is the California desert.
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The love story between Bai Ling and Chad Allen is powerful and I thought very tender. The two have very potent on-screen chemistry that heightens their plight as star-crossed lovers on the run. The movie has some great locations in Las Vegas and then out in the desert, and some fun cameos (remember Karen Black? Oh, and RON JEREMY! :) BTW. Chad Allen is HOTTT. he's the reason I decided to watch this film, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy the romance of the two main characters nearly so much, and now I want to go and watch all of Bai Ling's other films!
Paris is a very ordinary corrupt-cops-in-the-underworld movie, just laden with cliches, and its struggle to rise above them isn't very successful. There's not much originality in either the script or direction; from the cop who drives a sixties-vintage car to the address he wants written down on a barroommatchbook, we've seen all of it before.The movie looks good, and some of the performances are strong. Chad Allendoes show some chops, and an ability to hold the camera's attention, even if his range here is limited. Some of the blame for that has to lie with the script and the unconvincing situations it puts him in. And maybe he's better off not trying to play a character's depth when there is none given him to play. Bai Ling alsoacquits herself credibly and as someone else noted here, there is some screen chemistry between the two stars.But after all that, I'm still left with one question; how does a guy get shot in the back, from the side?
Paris is a crime cop genre film that has some great elements of romance.The intimacy between Jason and Linda is well delivered by Bai Ling and Chad Allen. I felt an actual spark of love between the two characters. Bai Ling is gorgeous and the photography looks excellent. This is a film that looks great having been shot on DV. There are gorgeous shots of the California/Nevada desert. The seedy parts of LA and Las Vegas could be a bit seedier.James Russo does a great job of playing the creepy bad cop.Karen Black adds an interesting texture to the already colorful film.Overall I say Paris is worth watching and would recommend it to those intersted in watching a decent film shot on DV. The love story is the highlight and Bai Ling just looks great.
Paris is an impressive combination of a unique, socially-minded, film-noir plot, beautiful visual motifs, and further exploration of what DV filmmaking can look like.Bai Ling is captivating in every scene she's in, and Chad Allen is perfectly suited for the role of the young, struggling cop. We really come to care about both of their conflicted characters.Throughout the film the repetitive use of mirrors is just one of several visual elements that serve to make Paris artistically moving, and this, in combination with a twisiting plot that takes us between the seedier parts of Los Angeles and Los Vegas, makes this a film you can't stop once you've started.