Action masterpiece from John Woo

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2016)

John Woo's third film made in America returns to the classy days of HARD TARGET after the dismal failure of BROKEN ARROW. Based on an outlandish premise (two people swap faces and identities), there is more plot here than other action films of our time. Thanks to some great acting, the action, when it comes, is all the better as it involves characters we care about.
Travolta and Cage relish the opportunity to play both bad guys and good guys, but Cage is definitely more at home in the role of a hero (his villainous turn at the beginning of the film is just too slimy and makes you feel like turning off). Cage proves himself as more than just an action man, and conveys brilliantly the feelings of a man trapped with a face that is not his own, and frequently is called to cry and show despair. On the other hand, Travolta gets to replay the same over the top, outlandish villain that he did in BROKEN ARROW, which borders on irritating yet for the most part is fun to watch. You can't deny that these two leads both deliver polished performances. The supporting cast is a good one too, with Joan Allen and Gina Gershon excelling themselves as partners caught up in the gunfire.
However, the action itself is the most important thing, and Woo outdoes himself here, from the opening shootout in an aircraft hangar to the wildly exciting, edge-of-your-seat speedboat chase at the film's finale. In between we have some poetic moments, epic battles staged to the tune of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, more bullets than you can shake a stick at, and plenty of adrenaline pumping instances such as Cage's escape from prison. Wonderful, and because I like it so much, I don't want to spoil anymore of it for you. Instead, go and watch it yourself.