Face/Off is a film full of high octane action directed by the maestro John Woo, doing what he's best at, the genres gun fu and heroic bloodshed in the action genre which he pioneered. There are stylized action sequences and dramatic themes such as duty, honor, redemption and violence. The film is also a great thriller film, with the more quiet and character driven scenes contributing to the film and its themes, especially of redemption and loss. Oliver Wood is also to thank for the look of the film, whilst John Woo is hugely thank for it with the aesthetics and perfect mise-en-scene, Wood's cinematography is excellent. The screenplay was written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, truly excellent writing. Since its release, the film gained a strong cult following and it is considered by many as one of John Woo's best films.
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
There are a bunch of action sequences that stand out, especially the speedboat chase scene which the film won an MTV award for, along with an award for best On-Screen Duo for Travolta and Cage. I think the prison escape is brilliantly executed, from direction and acting to the editing, but I think the writing could have been better and more build up as it felt too easy. The penthouse shootout is also top notch action, among the best. The same climax action sequence which begins in a church and continues with a speedboat chase. John Woo uses slow motion correctly and sparsely, making the action scenes more epic and entertaining. Face/Off won Saturn Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, it was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing. The sound design in the film is really great, with each punch and gunshot felt by us in the audience, like how it's supposed to be.
What's interesting with Face/Off, other than what an incredible action film it is, it's the script and the vision John Woo had for it. The emotional impact at the end shows how these people succeeded in creating a film with characters you care for, how the theme of loss was handled, truly perfect storytelling. Nicolas Cage and John Travolta were truly incredible in this film, in certain ways it contained some over-acting but it fits the character of Castor Troy (the terrorist and criminal) perfectly. Sean Archer was the FBI agent and what is the main character, it was interesting seeing Nicholas Cage play that part as well with an edge of craziness to it. Equipping the face of the man who killed your son and injured oneself, it would probably make anyone kind of psychologically on the edge. Some words by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film three out of four, "Here, using big movie stars and asking them to play each other, Woo and his writers find a terrific counterpoint to the action scenes: All through the movie, you find yourself reinterpreting every scene as you realize the 'other' character is 'really' playing it." Face/Off might be among the best action films I've seen, with its stylized and violent sequences which makes you want more. The good thing is there is more where this came from, John Woo is one of the greatest action directors, and this might even be his best film.
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
There are a bunch of action sequences that stand out, especially the speedboat chase scene which the film won an MTV award for, along with an award for best On-Screen Duo for Travolta and Cage. I think the prison escape is brilliantly executed, from direction and acting to the editing, but I think the writing could have been better and more build up as it felt too easy. The penthouse shootout is also top notch action, among the best. The same climax action sequence which begins in a church and continues with a speedboat chase. John Woo uses slow motion correctly and sparsely, making the action scenes more epic and entertaining. Face/Off won Saturn Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, it was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing. The sound design in the film is really great, with each punch and gunshot felt by us in the audience, like how it's supposed to be.
What's interesting with Face/Off, other than what an incredible action film it is, it's the script and the vision John Woo had for it. The emotional impact at the end shows how these people succeeded in creating a film with characters you care for, how the theme of loss was handled, truly perfect storytelling. Nicolas Cage and John Travolta were truly incredible in this film, in certain ways it contained some over-acting but it fits the character of Castor Troy (the terrorist and criminal) perfectly. Sean Archer was the FBI agent and what is the main character, it was interesting seeing Nicholas Cage play that part as well with an edge of craziness to it. Equipping the face of the man who killed your son and injured oneself, it would probably make anyone kind of psychologically on the edge. Some words by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film three out of four, "Here, using big movie stars and asking them to play each other, Woo and his writers find a terrific counterpoint to the action scenes: All through the movie, you find yourself reinterpreting every scene as you realize the 'other' character is 'really' playing it." Face/Off might be among the best action films I've seen, with its stylized and violent sequences which makes you want more. The good thing is there is more where this came from, John Woo is one of the greatest action directors, and this might even be his best film.