One of Woo's better American efforts...

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2006)

John Travolta and Nicolas Cage are on the opposite sides of the law. Travolta is Sean Archer an FBI agent who is trying to bring down Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) while succeeding in almost killing Troy, Archer is faced with the position of having to get surgery that involves trading faces. So Archer does so and becomes Castor Troy to find out the location of a nerve gas bomb however when Troy awakens without a face he forces the doctors to give him Archer's face and now Archer with Troy's face on must not only fight off Castor Troy but also his former allies who think he is the terrorist they are after. Did you get the plot? Suffice to say Face-Off is ridiculous and of course has gaping plot holes. (Isn't Cage and Travolta different heights and different in body structure?) Also the movie is way too long and could have been edited down by thirty minutes. That being said Face Off works fairly well and the action sequences are exciting if a bit too ludicrous. Also what makes this enjoyable is that Woo has managed to craft a movie that works because the characters sell it, Cage is very good as the good guy and provides some excellent acting in the quieter scenes where Travolta is even more impressive in his good guy role and villainous role. It also has it's share of some exceptionally brutal moments which Woo seems to be employing again after the noticeably tame Broken Arrow. Here Woo seems willing to go over the top and in the end gives us a product which feels the closest to his hometown charm that made him one of the best filmmakers in his country. Some people have balked at it's ludicrous story but really this is Woo operating at almost maximum velocity.
* * * out of 4-(Good)