FACE/OFF (1997) Reviewed by Jerry Saravia Originally viewed in the spring of 1998
After seeing the implausible "Air Force One," I thought to myself - the action genre is dead and buried. Then comes "Face/Off," which is superior in every way, despite having an even more ludicrous storyline.
The vibrant John Travolta plays an FBI agent, Sam Archer, whose son was killed by a colorful, psychopathic terrorist named Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). Sam has a vendetta and wants to capture Castor. Castor is caught and wounded, and placed in a coma. Sam has a problem, though: he needs to find a bomb that is planted somewhere in the vast metropolis of Los Angeles. Despite some objections, Sam has his face surgically removed and implanted with the comatose Castor's! This way, Sam can pretend to be Castor making it easier to find where the bomb is hidden. Problem is the real Castor has awakened from his coma, and has had his face surgically implanted with Sam's! Farfetched? You bet.
The difference between "Face/Off" and "Air Force One" is that "Face/Off" is actually great fun and it's also wickedly entertaining: it takes its inventive premise and brings it to life with imagination and fire. The tour-de-force is John Travolta and Nicolas Cage who each cleverly play two roles: Travolta is the obsessed, quiet, compassionate Sam, and also plays the devious, evil Castor unbeknownst to Sam's family (they include Joan Allen as Sam's wife, Dominique Swain as his daughter). There's one priceless moment where Travolta as Castor gleefully announces, "Things are going to change around here."
Cage naturally plays the grandiose Castor who walks around in red and black attire complete with two gold-plated guns, and he also convincingly adopts Sam's placid nature while trying to prove to Castor's foes that he is the brutal Castor, and simultaneously tries to prove to his wife that he is the real Sam! Both actors pull this off brilliantly (and they should be nominated for Oscars). Travolta had the best role (or roles) of his career since "Pulp Fiction," and Nicolas Cage proves that he hasn't lost his offbeat nature (look at the hilarious scene where he dons priestly robes and sings "Hallelujah!").
"Face/Off" is that rarity: a smart, complex, humanistic, fast-moving character study draped with director John Woo's trademark slo-mo, close-up visuals, and outrageous, explosive action. It's like watching a live-action comic book. The film may have too high a body count and seem somewhat relentless, but it's always top-notch in every other department. "Air Force One" is the mediocre, senseless, exploitative action picture with little to remind us of the great Harrison Ford films of the past. "Face/Off" shows that some imagination can still spill into your local multiplex from an accomplished director. The choice is ultimately yours.
For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/JATMindex.shtml
E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at faustus_08520@yahoo.com or at Faust668@aol.com
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