Mis-fire >>> Face Off! Showin' your ...

Rating: 1/10 (5 July 2009)

For a moment, picture yourself going to a movie, to relax and feeling good and just escape. Now you get through the double doors after getting your tickets and you sit down. You see fifty-seven movie pre-views before your movie starts, then the movie 'Face off' starts to play. You're happy and getting comfortable. Now, if you have seen this feature, you need to be completely honest. Even when you wanted escapism, say pure escapism, this Travolta Cage and WOo picture starts to pick up speed, way too fast and far, far too unbelievably. I know there are people who will disagree, I could really care less. There are too many movies out there that can fit the bill without pretty much slapping you in the face. This was not like a cold water rushing thrill ride as much as it is a full on frontal assault on your sense of creative intelligence. Face-Off is go, go, go but no, no show! I mean with a great cast, a poorly written action-drama, that falls flat. It made a good amount of money in the theaters no doubt about that. But then look at the voting public at large, look at some of the presidents 'voted' in by the public and think 'Okay, well just because there is a lot of money in something or with someone, it doesn't mean that it's good, or right.
Alright, take for example, so many John WoO movies feature the ballet dance numbers for that wondrous 'flowing' effect. In large part in many of his features that has played out well...in this case it just got played, 'Off'. Honestly now, Olivia Newton John? In the middle of a 100-200 round per minute fire fight?? This isn't escape anymore it might as well be Barney the purple dinosaur, in action. There could be so many other tracks that they could have scored to this intense section of the movie, but they decided that Ms. John was the one. The truth is, I love Olivia, I always have. In this case for me and many others it was just wrong.
The rest of this was a parade of mindless, ballet flowing dance move poorly scripted over commercialized crap, in a cinema setting. The camera shots were over done as well as the acting and thus the believability was swapped out for a heavy on image and nodda on intelligent film making. Although I have to ad that the color and camera lens filters were outstanding!! Outstanding. No lying there.
And with all of WoO's talents he couldn't have set this up and executed the story without literally executing this story? The concept is interesting, it has a heart beat, and that makes that escapism is the story line, but how it was done lacked, and lacked big time. I wish I could have helped rewrite and direct this film. Oh well. (*)
Not recommended for the real discriminating action film buff.