In John Woo’s Face/Off, FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) holds a particularly personal grudge against no-good-nic Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage): Five years ago, Troy, while attempting to assassinate Archer in the middle of a kiddie park, accidentally killed Archer’s son, instead.
It’s been cat and mouse for nearly half a decade when Archer finally gets the jump on Troy and knocks him into a coma, but not before learning there is a bomb hidden somewhere in Los Angeles. The only other person who knows the location of the bomb is Castor Troy’s brother, Pollux. But Pollux has been caught, placed in a ridiculously secure prison (your boots can be magnetized to the floor whenever it is seen fit), and doesn’t plan to talk to anyone.
Archer is told about a top-secret operation where he can switch his face and voice with Castor Troy’s, (while he is in a coma and unable to consent, it might be added). The hope is that Archer, pretending to be Castor Troy, will be able to trick Pollux Troy into giving up the location of the bomb.
The plan works, but not before Castor Troy wakes up, calls in his bad-ass friends, apparently kidnaps a surgical team, and has his now non-existent face replaced with Sean Archer’s. So, now, Archer is Troy and Troy is Archer, and Archer is stuck looking like Troy in prison while Troy, looking like Archer, has begun to run his FBI special unit and live with his family like a husband and father.
Lots of fighting ensues. There are neat battles in prison, in a skyscraper, and on a couple boats. Doves constantly fly by in slow motion which somehow doesn’t quite have the cool factor it did 25 years ago. There are also more bullets than a gun range might see in a year.
Most important, though, are the performances by John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. They are required to nail each other’s mannerisms and very recognizable accents and verbal cadences. And, boy, do they ever nail their impersonations. You will constantly find yourself trying to remember if this is John Travolta as John Travolta, or what feels like Nicolas Cage playing John Travolta. It isn’t as confusing as it sounds, but, oh boy, is it ever worth it.
Bonus Features (on 4K UHD Disc):
- Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35 mm Original Camera Negative
- Audio Commentary by Director John Woo and Writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary
- Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Audio Commentary by Writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Bonus Features (on Blu-ray Disc):
- Audio Commentary by Director John Woo and Writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary
- Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Audio Commentary by Writers Mike Werb and Machael Colleary
- Seven Deleted and Alternate Scenes
- The Light and the Dark: The Making of Face/Off – five-part documentary about the making of Face/Off
- John Woo: A Life in Pictures – 26-minute documentary on the life of John Woo
- Trailer – Face/Off, Hard Target, Staying Alive, The Experts, Fire Birds, Ronin, Out of Sight, The Usual Suspects
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
