Woo's Hollywood masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 1999)

For anyone who has seen "The Killer" or "Hard-Boiled", you probably will not be blown away by "Face/Off". As good as Face/Off may seem, we have to remember it is still given the Hollywood treatment. Less guns, less bullets, less death, and a happy ending. Of course, for the regular neutered American filmgoer, this seems like a GOOD thing. But for REAL hardened action fans, this Hollywood intervention is an unwelcome intrusion. For all the fireworks in Face/Off, it still does not even come close to matching up with even ten minutes of "Hard-Boiled" or "The Killer". These two Hong Kong movies are John Woo's REAL masterpieces, not tied down by any ropes or watered-down to fit the standards of any major movie company.
However, that being said, Face/Off is certainly a masterpiece in American standards. Woo manages to still offer us an energetic and eye-pleasing action movie despite being tied down by Hollywood. The plot in this movie, while comical, is very engaging. A little known fact about this movie is that it was originally meant to be set in the future. That would better explain the validity of the operation AND that wacky futuristic prison. However, Woo refused to do this, and the movie is much better because of it.
The complications of Castor Troy turning into Sean Archer and vice versa are brilliant. Sean turns into the very man he has loathed and despised. He is reminded of him every time he looks in the mirror. Castor, on the other hand, turns into the man who has been chasing him with passion for years. This turn of events causes major psychological trauma for both characters (although Cage's character shows it a lot more). The extent of these emotions are limited on screen as Woo chooses to push that aspect of the story away and instead focus on the action. Good choice!
Make no bones about it, this is not a psychological drama. It has John Woo behind the camera, so it's a full-tilt action film. As in his Hong Kong films, Woo manages to make EVERYONE look more cool than they really are. Case in point, has Cage EVER looked cooler than the opening scene when he exits his car and his overcoat goes flapping around in the wind?
The most brilliant example of Woo's genius is the scene when Cage and Travolta are back-to-back with each other with only a mirror separating them. When they both turn away and point guns at each other's image, you can't help but get chills at how brilliant this is. They're both pointing their guns at the very man they hate, and even though it is really themselves, shooting at that image could kill the enemy. As complicated as it is smart, Face/Off has many scenes that envoke chills like this.
And of course, the raw unorthodoxed action...the only moment that this film felt like a Hong Kong movie was the scene when Cage slides on the floor to shoot at the SWAT member breaking into their hideout. The camera follows Cage sliding on the ground while sparks fly all around him. This just screamed Hong Kong action all the while and it was beautiful! The final church shootout was ripped off from "The Killer" (but severely diluted), and the boat scene was also something out of "The Killer". That being said, both were well-done and actually made the movie!
The plot does seem a bit far-fetched, but it is as interesting as it is implausible. People need to stop looking at this film as a true-life action film and start looking at it like a sci-fi film (since that's what it was originally supposed to be). That is, keep your mind open and you won't be tied down by the physics and technology of today. Take the story as it is and breathe in the premise of the story and not the reality of it. Seen in that light, Face/Off is certainly an action masterpiece and one that John Woo should be proud of despite its lack of punch and flair that was present in The Killer and Hard-Boiled.