Face/Off: Sensational action with a fragile storyline

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2019)

Stylized and chaotic action sequences are an indispensible ingredient of John Woo films, and Face/Off is no different in that aspect.With an ensemble star-studded cast comprising Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, and the implementation of the in-vogue conceptualization of plastic surgery as the central idea in order to apprehend a nefarious criminal, the film maybe deemed inconceivable all the same as it departs from the traditional realm of scientific knowledge(as is evident in the process of plastic surgery portrayed in the movie).
Sean Archer(FBI Detective) embarks on a hunt to intercept his arch-rival Castor Troy, with personal scores to settle.Archer's vendetta against Castor culminates years later in an ambush wherein Castor and his slow-witted accomplice Pollux are ensnared and Castor concedes the knowledge of a bomb ticking away in a specific location of the city, but fails to digress into it's location, as he slips into a coma.Archer, in order for Pollux to reveal the bomb location undergoes plastic surgery, swapping his face with his nemesis, Troy.
In an unexpected turn of events, which may seem as an erratic misconception, intricately woven in the exquisite acting performances of both Travolta and Cage and sketchy action sequences.
The plot may appear to be quite weak and illusionary, but the movie rides on the coattails of scintillating action sequences and adept acting.With Troy scheming to wreck Archer while Archer striving to apprehend Troy, the film all the same, proves to be a perfect entertainer with barely a moment available to catch your breath.
It may just be Woo's third American endeavour, but this movie established him in the realm of action movies, and may be regarded as one of the unsurpassable action movies till date.