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John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon ... see more see more... , Dominique Swain , Nick Cassavetes , Harve Presnell , Colm Feore , John Carroll Lynch , CCH Pounder , Robert Wisdom , Margaret Cho , Jamie Denton , Matt Ross , Joe Bob Briggs , Tommy Flanagan , Danny Masterson , James Denton , Romy Windsor

The third of John Woo's American-made feature films, Face/Off stars John Travolta as Sean Archer, an FBI agent obsessed with capturing Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), a criminal genius who years before ki... read more read more...lled Archer's son while trying to assassinate the agent. Archer's single-minded pursuit of Troy has caused serious harm to his marriage, but Archer thinks the light may have appeared at the end of the tunnel when a seriously wounded Troy is captured in a bloody shootout. However, it turns out that Troy has planted a time bomb, with a biological payload that could destroy the entire city of Los Angeles -- and Troy isn't about to say where it is. The only other person who knows the bomb's location is Troy's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), who is no more helpful than Castor. FBI scientists hatch a plan: they have developed an experimental surgery which would allow them to graft Troy's face temporarily on Archer's head and allow him to question Pollux as if he were his brother. But after Archer has taken Troy's face, Troy regains consciousness and forces the doctors to give him Archer's face. Now the criminal mastermind has the FBI at his disposal, and the lawman is underground with few places to turn. Along with Woo's usual elaborately choreographed action scenes, Face/Off features a number of notable supporting performances, including Joan Allen as Archer's wife, Colm Feore and C.C.H. Pounder as FBI scientists, and Gina Gershon as Troy's loyal but long-suffering girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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81% liked it

416,378 ratings

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94% liked it

63 critics

R, 2 hr. 18 min.

Directed by: John Woo

Release Date: June 27, 1997

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 1998

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Stats: 21,906 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (21,906)

  • fb1664868775
    March 3, 2012
    fb1664868775
    Another Woo masterwork but this time the action he is known for best is overshadowed by the brilliant acting of the two leads. This is what a action should movie should be.
  • FrizzDrop
    November 18, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    In one of the more psychological action films to star the ambivalent Nicolas Cage, the tangled pasts and frightening motives of a serial killer, psychotic, and career criminal, who has assumed the identity of his worst enemy and our hero, comes forth. The reason the tension betwe... read moreen the two characters works so well is because they aren't simple characters. Cage's insanity is there just because, he is in fact a disturbed and complex character, confronted by morality on a daily basis and in the most sinister of ways, reveals his own ridiculous actions by cramming evil down his own throat. The science behind the operations and the dastardly plot isn't what makes me uneasy about giving this film a glowing review. I can deal with a high level of suspension of disbelief based on my own love of action films, but it's the way everything is directed, the photography, the presentation of certain scenes, that just irked me. The plot got so tangled up in itself while trying to be climactic, that it became a lack of easy effects and witty dialogue. Woo is an accomplished director, and his way of doing things isn't wrong, but for my tastes I would never create scenes that are so distorted and airy, with that ugly soundtrack, that at times I wasn't certain if they were dream sequences, mock endings, or what the director wants us to perceive. Travolta, who plays over the top with an air of pretension in the Castor role, does come off as human through and through. Sean Archer, though portrayed by two separate actors, is composed and fleshed out. He is not only likable, but truly an original figure in action films. He has problems with his wife, daughter, the death of his son, and his work taking down Castor Troy. The action was inciting, the explosions annoyingly unrealistic, and the relationship betweent the two halves didn't seem completely real because Troy's motivation isn't apparent. I still don't understand why Troy exists as a character, and what his actions mean in the context of his life, his role in this vendetta against Archer. The cast is phenomenal, including a big lipped Gina Gershon and a trembling rebel of a wife played by Joan Allen. It was entertaining without being highly cerebral. I only wish I could have enjoyed it without pretension.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 27, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Face/Off was a good action film, and probably one of the better films of Nicholas Cage. I quite enjoyed the film considering that both Nick Cage and John Travolta are so-so actors. The concept for the film was good, and quite interesting. But the film is far from perfect. I very ... read moremuch enjoyed the film, but I felt that the film could have been much better than this. There are some good action scenes here, but at times the film does fall flat. John Woo has always been hit and miss and with Face/Off he succeeds at creating a good action film, but it definitely isn't perfect. A good effort, but not even close to a flawless action film. Unfortunately the film has little substance, but works only as a popcorn flick. The story was great, but instead of really developing the plot, John Woo took the easy way out. The thrills are plentiful, but the plot suffers. Face/Off is a good popcorn flick, nothing more. The film is worth watching, but is actually quite forgettable. John Woo always goes for the mindless thrills, which is good, but where he lacks is effective story development Face/Off is a good film, but it lacks in some areas. The performances could have been much better, and the story could have been better developed too. But that's what you get when you watch a John Woo film. A good action film, but it leaves a lot for improvement.
  • DreamExtractor
    June 5, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    I loved this movie. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage were tremendous. The action was awesome, beyond most action films I have ever seen. The plot is so imaginative and original, it deserved an Oscar nom. The music was intense, & it was perfect. Basically, this movie is amazing,... read more and so original that its too good for the big screen.
  • allan913
    March 28, 2011
    allan913
    Director, John Woo's American action masterpiece. It's utterly mind-blowing and endlessly heart pounding from start to finish. An incredibly spectacular action-packed thrill-ride. One of the best action movies you'll ever see. Incredible action sequences that you wont forget, fro... read morem the opening gun battle at the airport to the concluding boat chase. A feast for the eyes and ears. An amazing ballet of bullets, brains, explosions, emotion and awesome performances by Nicholas Cage and John Travolta.
  • garyX
    January 19, 2011
    garyX
    An obsessive FBI agent goes undercover by switching identities with a comatose psychotic terrorist but when he reawakens and kills everyone who knows about it they find themselves leading each others lives. The idea of Face/Off had a lot of potential but instead of exploring the... read more psychology involved, Woo decided to just have his slo-mo stars flip-flopping around with guns blazing while blowing the scenery up, and that's about it. In fact Face/Off can be seen as the prototype to the modern action film; but I don't mean that in a good way. It plays out EXACTLY like a Michael Bay film, with associated over the top but unexciting and generic action sequences, absurdly overblown and contrived melodrama and laughable sentimentality. As the film goes on the directorial gimmickry gets more and more intrusive as by the absurd finale including a ridiculous speedboat chase that's straight out of a bad 80s Bond film I'd become totally exasperated. There are some decent shoot outs and Travolta has some fun aping Nic Cage's appalling over-acting but as a whole its ludicrous Van Damme standard script and clod-hopping over-direction are examples of everything that's wrong with the modern blockbuster. At least it did it first, I suppose...
  • fb1463751009
    October 13, 2010
    fb1463751009
    A fun popcorn blockbuster... I just didn't dig John Travolta's acting. This was the time when Nicolas Cage was actually okay.
  • erika250
    September 10, 2010
    erika250
    one of the best action film ever.
  • ythelastman89
    May 2, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Probably one of the best straight up action movies of the nineties. It's so bizarre, crazy and downright cool. While making no sense in the real world, it really does have its own sense of rules. The face swap aspect is such a great technique and is more interesting than it right... read morefully should be. Part of this goes to the performances from Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. Both do great eccentric imitations of each other and make convincing characters at the same time. The other reason it tends to be so well done is John Woo's amazing action sequences and directing. While this isn't always his strong suit, action movies tend to go better with his style. The slow motion and rapid gunfire look tasteful in this rather than corny. On top of all that, it's just a flat out entertaining movie. At not one point are you left wanting to be somewhere else.
  • fb733768972
    February 2, 2010
    fb733768972
    I have been wondering so much about this movie, and from the first time I heard about it, I thought it was going to be like an action films with a freaky friday feel! Wow, was I wrong! Every situation was well shot, and the acting was great! To top it off, the action was incredib... read morele! What a fantastic film!

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Critic Reviews

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

John Woo's Face/Off puts the acting into action flick... Full Review

Peter Travers
May 11, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Scenes of high-voltage action vie with wild hilarity as two guys with guns switch faces and identities.

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

It's difficult to describe the jolt his films deliver when [Woo]'s on, and he is on with a vengeance here. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
February 14, 2001
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Watching John Travolta and Nicolas Cage square off and literally exchange roles brings back the old-fashioned pleasure of astutely judged movie star pairings in a major way. Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Here comes a mega-movie that actually delivers what mega-movies promise... Full Review

Andy Seiler
January 1, 2000
Andy Seiler, USA Today

It could be argued that this movie's callousness toward human life is nihilistic and nasty. But Woo takes everything so absurdly far that audiences laugh at what horrified them moments before.

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Most enjoyable blockbuster of the summer. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

You see what thickets this plot constructs; it's as if Travolta adds the spin courtesy of Cage's personality, while Cage mellows in the direction of Travolta. Full Review

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

...it is as elegantly made as it is violent, mating movie mayhem with bits of poetry, opera, psychology and the abstract. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

This is grand moviemaking with grand acting.

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Facts

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    • Castor Troy: If you dress like Halloween, ghouls will try to get in your pants.
    • Castor Troy: Oh well... plan B: Let's just kill each other.
    • Castor Troy: Ooooh wee you're good lookin'! Ya hot!
    • Sean Archer: It's like looking at a mirror only... not.
    • Castor Troy: Well, I've gotta go. I've got a government job to abuse, and a lonely wife to fuck.
    • Pollux Troy: I want to take his face... off.
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Face/Off Trivia

  • What two actors worked together in the movie Face/Off?  Answer »
  • con air face/off city of angels gone in 60 seconds All these movies have som thing in common maybe you can tell   Answer »
  • In what movie involved Nicholas Cage and John Travolta to have a face transplant  Answer »
  • In what movie did a terrorist and an F.B.I. agent literally physically switch faces?  Answer »
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