FACE/OFF
A film review by Cameron Shelley
Copyright 1997 Cameron Shelley
(Paramount)
Review by:
Cameron Shelley -- June 28, 1997.
Review URL:
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~cpshelle/Reviews/faceoff.html
Cast:
Nicolas Cage (Castor Troy), John Travolta (Sean Archer), Joan
Allen (Eve Archer), Gina Gershon (Sasha Hassler), Alessandro
Nivola (Pollux Troy).
Screenplay:
Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
Director:
John Woo
Production:
Terence Chang, Michael Colleary, Michael Douglas,
Christopher Godsick, Jonathan Krane, Jeff Levine, David
Permut, Steven Reuther, Mike Werb.
Face/Off is an action picture in which everyone seems to have "hit their stride." Furthermore, it shows that an interesting premise can enliven any movie, even one embedded in such a notoriously formulaic genre.
Face/Off concerns the fortunes of two arch-nemeses, Castor Troy (Cage) and Sean Archer (Travolta). Castor Troy is a violent but very intelligent sociopath who wants to screw the world for what he imagines it did to him. Archer is an Elliot Ness for the nineties, an agent of the secretive anti-terrorism squad of the FBI, who wants most of all to visit upon Castor Troy the pain he suffered when Castor shot little Michael Archer to death six years earlier. In an all-out slugfest and shootout in the first act, Archer finally captures Troy, but only after Troy has planted a chemical/biological bomb somewhere in downtown Los Angeles. With the clock ticking, Archer must find some way to turn an apparently Pyrrhic victory into a real triumph. In desperation, he attempts to save the situation by taking on Castor Troy's identity, which includes an operation in which both their faces are removed so that Troy's face can be literally grafted onto Archer's body!
Although he meets with initial success, Archer's plan goes badly awry. He is sent to the same prison as Castor's brother Pollux (a throwaway reference to the Roman/Greek brothers of the same name) and wheedles the location of the bomb from him. In the meantime, however, Castor awakens from his coma (induced by his capture in act I) to find he has no face. He calls in some goons, forces the doctor to give him Archer's face and then murders everyone who knows about this super-secret, identity-swapping operation. Troy and Archer have completely changed places. Describing events from this point on could become rather tortuous, so suffice it to say that Troy and Archer now have a unique opportunity to walk a mile in the other's shoes and to employ a new and unfamiliar set of resources to deal with each other.
The identity-swapping premise works surprisingly well, and at several levels. First, it cleanly motivates the action of the picture by placing the two main characters in such direct conflict. After Archer escapes from prison (in Troy's persona), he wants his old identity back, but Troy (in Archer's persona) likes being in control of such powerful FBI resources and so prefers things the way they are. Second, the premise allows the two men to explore each other's turf. Archer, not surprisingly, finds the underground world of terrorism and drug-dealing extremely distasteful, but also strangely compelling. For his part, Troy finds Archer's workaday life bizarre and comments, when driving through Archer's neighborhood, "I am in hell." Third, the not infrequent fistfights constantly present the audience with the rather disgusting prospect that someone's face will literally fly off their head!
Fortunately, this premise is seldom overextended and the presentation of various "dualities" doesn't pretend to a greater significance than it can sustain. Instead, the basic conflict gives rise to many well-choreographed action sequences, played out amid a hail of bullets, pigeons, and religious backdrops. The movie also apparently includes the boat-chase scene that Woo could not fit into Hard Target. In fact, Face/Off has much of the look of Hard Target, right down to the intercutting of slow-motion into the fast-paced scenes, and the affected intrusion of all those damn pigeons! Also included is a many-cornered standoff scene adapted from Leone's For a Few Dollars More, complete with closeups of people's eyes shifting. The result is a very watchable blend of style and pacing.
Another distinct plus for this film is the acting of the principle characters, particularly Nicholas Cage. The contrast with the somewhat bland Cameron Poe of Con Air is quite noticeable. Cage is as convincing as could be expected for a character caught in such an outlandish predicament, looking genuinely terrified out of his wits at the prospect of being locked away as Castor Troy for the rest of his days. Travolta too puts in a good performance. Playing cool but psychotic criminals is now old hat for the action flick, and Travolta certainly can't be accused of not playing to type.
Even with all the high-octane gunfire and chase scenes, Woo has clearly proceeded thoughtfully. It is a given, of course, that the good guy will win in the end, but the means of Troy's downfall is kept in the dark until the late innings and not telegraphed right off the bat. Naturally, a small detail gives the villain away, but several candidates are raised in the course of the film and made the subjects of misdirection. While not rivetingly suspenseful, this sort of attention to detail is very gratifying. Overall, Face/Off is an interesting and stylish piece of moviemaking, and definitely sets the mark for action pictures this summer.
cpshelle@watarts.uwaterloo.ca - Phone: (519) 888-4567 x2555
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