Face/Off

FACE/OFF

Director : John Woo

Year : 1997

Genre : Action

Rating : ****

 

The action genre has always been to some degree over the top and chaotic but thanks to a sudden rise in computer graphics and prosthetics, the 1990's was the definitive decade of the overblown and excessive action thriller. Films such as 'Con Air', 'Terminator 2  : Judgement Day', 'Armageddon' and 'Independence Day' would revolutionise the genre and transform cinema screens into howling, uncontrollable fireballs of explosions and pyrotechnics. And crowning this skyscraper of wanton destruction and needless violence is John Woo's 1997 identity swapping classic 'Face/Off' which stars Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. Telling the story of an FBI agent who takes on the physical  identity of a dangerous, psychopathic terrorist to infiltrate his criminal gang, 'Face/Off combines unstoppable action with two of the most unpredictable and over the top actors working in Hollywood today. Ridiculous, wrong headed and completely unpredictable, 'Face/Off' is the ultimate action film of the 90's and easily one of the most enjoyable ever made purely thanks to John Woo's carefree direction, both Cage and Travolta's exaggerated performances and a narrative that is bonkers but also at the same time, genius. 

Sean Archer (Travolta) is a hard working FBI agent who is determined to catch mastermind terrorist Castor Troy (Cage) who has planted a bomb in a secret location in the middle of Los Angeles. When Troy is put into a coma during a vicious fight between the two blood enemies, Archer is given the opportunity to be able to infiltrate himself into his nemesis' group by replacing his face with that of Castors. Surgically removing his own features and replacing them with that of Troy's, Archer begins a life threatening mission to discover where the terrorist placed the potentially deadly weapon. However, the real Troy soon wakes up from his coma and has Archer's face put onto his bare skull. Now posing as the dedicated FBI agent, Castor begins to integrate himself into both the classified organisation and Archers own family. 

From it's opening credits, it is obvious that John Woo knows how to use Nicolas Cage in a film. Working best when he can be out of control and completely sporadic, Cage bounds onto the screen and literally dances his way through the entire opening sequence in one of the most unintentionally hilarious 20 seconds of film ever. Best known for his anarchic action thrillers such as 'Hard Boiled', 'Mission Impossible 2' and 'A Better Tomorrow', John Woo knows how to push the boundaries of the genre without ever losing sight of it's ultimate purpose; to entertain and thanks to both Cage's near - sociopathic characterisation and Travolta's hard edged FBI agent, 'Face/Off' becomes a giddily enjoyable adventure filled with violence, moral dilemmas and a hell of a lot of overacting. 

While it is fun to watch ole' Nic do his thing, the film really kicks in when Travolta takes on the persona of  Cage as Castor Troy wearing the face of Sean Archer. Completely nailing his ridiculously chaotic personality and idiosyncracies, Travolta is great fun as Nicolas Cage's action doppelganger and clearly is enjoying himself while doing it. While he may not look like Cage in any way shape or form, Travolta completely manages to echo the styles and nuances that have made Nicolas Cage the star and meme hero he is today. 

While the plot of 'Face/Off' may sound complicated, Woo does a very good job of telling the story in a highly manageable way and a snappy and quotable screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary helps us as the audience to become fully enveloped in both of the characters respective worlds. It may be full of plot holes and both Cage and Travolta have given better performances in their careers but for pure fun and insane adrenaline, 'Face/Off' is one of the best action films ever made and one that is a must see for fans of either the genre or the completely uncontrollable ball of energy that is Nicolas Cage.