Travolta + Cage + Woo = Dynamite action drama

Rating: Null/10 (13 March 2003)

FACE/OFF (1997) **** John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Harve Presnell, Dominique Swain, Nick Cassavetes, CCH Pounder, Margaret Cho. Excellent breakneck actioner/psychological thriller with obsessed FBI agent Travolta out to infiltrate looney tune killing master criminal Cage's operation of setting off a bomb in LA by state-of-the-art surgery grafting Cage's face onto Travolta (and then vice versea as the plot thickens). Sounds dumb but with a crackling screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, the film takes hold with some unexpected humor (and for that matter humanity), deft action sequences and acting tour-de-forces from its leads (both getting to be Good and Evil); think of it as `Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' meets James Bond with a touch of Greek tragedy. High octane violence underscored masterfully by auteur impresario John Woo who choreographs the coolest gunfights with a balletic, operatic grace and the elan of Travolta and Cage results in one helluva film. Best bit: the climactic showdown on speed boats. Hang on!