FACE/OFF
SYNOPSIS:
FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (Travolta) tries to locate a
biological weapon placed in Los Angeles by sadistic
terrorist-for-hire and criminal mastermind Castor Troy (Cage).
Archer has hunted Troy for the last 8 years, and is consumed by
revenge because Troy is responsible for the death of Archer's
son. To do this, Archer must "borrow" Troy's face using
a surgical procedure to go undercover as Troy, but things go
wrong when Troy assumes the identity of Archer.
"When John Woo says Action!, he means it; not satisfied
with running interpersonal gun battles, Woo has his actors, dive,
fly, leap, tumble and pirouette during the rapid fire exchanges,
edited to great effect, giving us a balletic display that adds to
the film’s cartoon strip quality. That’s not a put down
but a categorisation: the film is a fantasy trip, the kind you
would expect to find in better comic books. Surgeons can remove
faces and complete the body switch operation with such perfection
that wives fail to recognise frauds in bed; the facial surgery
leaves no scars; the voices are fixed up by implanted microchip
gizmos . . . Many of the ingredients defy credibility, but then
they happen in another world, not the one you are sitting in - but the one you bought a ticket for. Face/Off marries medical
techno-wizardry with stunt work of the highest order, and beneath
all the effects and action is a script that dares to be as bold
as the visuals. It weaves in family morals, love and decency, the
generation gap and even a touch of spirituality. And a lot of big
bangs."
Andrew L. Urban
"Hang on to whatever, and prepare to be truly blown away
by the most exhilarating and dynamic action film of the year. OK,
so the plot is absurd, and reality never sets in here, but leave
all that behind, and with John Woo back in top form, you have an
action film with more depth and sense of character, than any
other film in the genre of recent memory. The action sequences
have been perfectly choreographed like a ballet, each step a
wonder to behold, visually expressive and exciting to watch. The
sequence where a young child is listening to 'Over the Rainbow'
while bullets weave and spin around him is cinematic poetry, as
Woo comments on the relationship between innocence and
destruction. It's one of many fine moments. But it's also a film
that belongs to its actors, each of whom has to play the other's
character, and they work some wonderful magic, Travolta in
particular, who seizes his 'Cage' sequences with humour and
intelligence. It's a masterful performance in a genre that rarely
gives actors room to move. Even the women are able to add
something here, especially Gina Gershon who continues to do such
fine work in a man's genre. Her few moments on screen are
beautiful to watch. From performances to the stylisation of the
action, Face/Off is a movie that not only bristles with
consistent energy, but with humanity and profoundness. It's a
wild ride for action buffs and beyond."
Paul Fischer
"There are innumerable compelling reasons to see Face/Off
- Nicolas Cage and John Travolta are two. Directed with flair and
pizzaz, Face/Off is a spectacular explosion of nail-chomping
suspense and sensational action; all maximised by the enormous
star power and inspired performances of Cage and Travolta. A bit
over the top? So what? After all, isn’t anything and
everything possible in Hollywood? John Woo delivers all the
goods, and marries extravagant action fireworks with an
undercurrent of vulnerable emotions. Starting with a fine script
sensitively handled, Cage and Travolta have plenty of opportunity
to show their amazing ranges; their multi-dimensional
characterisations drawing us deep into the minds of each.
Complex, gripping and visually enthralling, Face/Off never drags
or sags. And what intriguing mind games this plot premise can
bring. No one can bargain for the kind of emotional turmoil
encountered; perception is everything. Within the old battle of
good versus evil, we see that life is not so black and white; the
big up-side is that no-one is all bad. With awesome stunts (the
scenes on the water are mind-blowing), Face/Off is an action and
emotional rollercoaster, which erupts into the biggest screen
thrill of the year."
Louise Keller
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FACE/OFF(MA)
(US)
CAST: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro
Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain, Nick Cassavetes, Harve
Presnell, Colm Feore, John Carroll Lynch, CCH Pounder, Robert
Wisdom, Margaret Cho, Jamie Denton, Matt Ross
PRODUCER: David Permut, Barrie M. Osborne, Terence Chang,
Christopher Godsick
DIRECTOR: John Woo
SCRIPT: Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Oliver Wood
EDITOR: Christian Wagner, Steven Kemper
MUSIC: John Powell
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Neil Spisak
RUNNING TIME: 138 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: August 28, 1997
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