Could be the most overrated film of the 1990s...

Rating: 3/10 (30 July 2000)

...And it wasn't even that well-reviewed!
Face/Off is one of those movies that make me wonder if I somehow saw a different film from everyone else. Most people I know love it - I can't imagine why. I've made repeated attempts to watch it but have never managed to actually sit through the whole thing. So I've seen a bit at a time.
Maybe I missed out on some things by watching it on video and TV instead of going during its theatrical release. But I don't think that's it, either, as the whole doves, flower petals, slow-mo walking and flapping jackets concept really doesn't do much for me. I fail to see what's so brilliant about the story. I thought it was completely lacking in credibility on almost every level. If there was a deeper meaning, I must have missed it. Travolta's performance was so over the top I found it difficult to watch most of his scenes. I did think there were some bright spots: Cage was pretty good after the "switch", and the supporting cast did fairly well, though most of them were given little to work with. The action scenes were fairly impressive, but I felt at least half of them had little to no relevance to what was going on. Now, I'm not familiar with most of Woo's work, but if this is the best he can do, that is sad indeed. I'd have expected more from a director who's so highly regarded.