Inventive action-packed John Woo thrill ride

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2015)

Hong Kong action film Director John Woo brings stellar action and thrills in this action-packed popcorn flick, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage who compete in one of the most exhilarating and inventive games of Cat-and-Mouse ever brought together on film. John Travolta plays Sean Archer, a FBI agent and devoted father and husband who is devastated by the cold murder of his son Michael by a ruthless terrorist Castor Troy (played by Nicolas Cage). Six years pass, Troy is still alive and hatches a diabolical plan to use a powerful bomb to blow a city. After seemingly killing Troy in a violent shootout, Archer is assigned on a mission to acquire the information from on the bomb's location from Troy's evil goons, and this plan involves Archer undergoing a medical surgery that removes his facial identity and replaces it with Troy's. While Archer is sent on the island where Troy's henchman are incarcerated, Troy wakes up and undergoes the same surgery to steal Archer's facial identity. It is up Archer is escape the prison and go after Troy who begins using his identity.
John Woo packs a punch with some intense, stylized action sequences and elegant action set pieces, along with an abnormal plot that work surprisingly well. This movie follows a stylish story of two men who are literally put into each other's shoes and begin experiencing each other's life and appearance, and John Woo does some amazing experimenting with this concept; switching back and forth from John Travolta's character posing as Nicolas Cage's character to outwit his goons with some intense gunfights and interrogations, to Nicolas Cage's character posing as John Travolta to commit a flirtatious life with his wife and teenage daughter and sabotage his job at the FBI. When Travolta and Cage eventually come face-to-face for the first time as each other, the pulse-pounding gun shootouts ensue and build up into a stunning climax at the end set with some good visuals, and its all fun to watch. The performances are solid and the plot moves at a reasonable pace, and with consistency.
Face/Off sets a great example of how action movies should be and it takes a position as the one of the most entertaining action flicks of its decade. Actions fans will be pleased by this film as well as those looking for a great action flick.