If you gotta watch one action-movie..

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 1998)

John Woo's "Face off" is not an art-film or in any way important. It's just old-fashioned entertainment, fine-tuned to the singular art of pleasing you, while at the same time throwing a couple of home-truths in your general direction... The non-stop action leave your senses stunned and satiated, and sends you out of the cinema in the warm and enjoyable knowledge of money well spent. In my case, that doesn't happen very often. "Face off", utter rubbish really, triumphs in its manic insistence on justice being served, no matter what. The "Count of Monte Christo"- theme (very old hat!) is served up like it was piping hot, and the action seems fresh and inventive. John Woo is also one of the few action-directors who remain true to the rules of the genre. That is, although the editor goes wild, the camera flies off in every direction, the bombs explode all over the place: You never experience vertigo or dizzy spells (like in that,"Armageddon"-horror!). In a John Woo action-scene you know where you are.You know where the actors are positioned. And you know where the danger is coming from.
Simple, really. Too bad Hollywood directors nearly always get it wrong. "Face off", on the other hand, is a classic, a beacon for lesser talents to steer by.