Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4326 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-06-11
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 133 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
At his best, director John Woo turns action movies into ballets of blood and bullets grounded in character drama. Face/Off marks Woo's first American film to reach the pitched level of his best Hong Kong work (Hard-Boiled). He takes a patently absurd premise--hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery--and creates a double-barrelled revenge film driven by the split psyches of its newly redefined characters. FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must play the villain to move through the underworld while psychotic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) becomes a perversely paternal family man, while using every tool at his disposal to destroy his nemesis. Travolta vamps Cage's tics and flamboyant excess with the grace of a dancer after his transformation from cop to criminal, while Cage plays the sullen, bottled-up agent excruciatingly trapped behind the face of the man who killed his son. His attempts to live up to the terrorist's reputation become cathartic explosions of violence that both thrill and terrify him. This is merely icing on the cake for action fans, the dramatic backbone for some of the most visceral action thrills ever. Woo fills the screen with one show-stopping set-piece after another, bringing a poetic grace to the action freakout with sweeping camerawork and sophisticated editing. This marriage of melodrama and mayhem ups the ante from cops-and-robbers clichés to a conflict of near-mythic levels. --Sean Axmaker

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Action Overload
Cast Biographies
Theatrical Trailer
English

Synopsis
The ordeal of super-heroic, singularly dedicated FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta – BLOW OUT, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) is only beginning after finally capturing his arch nemesis, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage – WILD AT HEART, NATIONAL TREASURE), an elusive, maniacal terrorist who claimed the life of Archer's son. While Troy languishes in a coma, Archer surgically 'borrows' Troy's face in an attempt to gather evidence about Troy's last bomb--which is currently ticking away in a Los Angeles office building. Trouble ensues when Troy wakes up faceless, borrows Archer's visage, and makes a mess of Archer's life; all the while, both men struggle to adapt to their new identities while struggling to blow each other away.

Another balletic, thematically complex action smorgasbord from Hong Kong action director John Woo (HARD BOILED, THE KILLER), FACE/OFF is the perfect showcase for the acting talents of Travolta and Cage, each spending most of the film perfectly imitating the other. The pair are also ably supported by Joan Allen (THE CONTENDER, THE ICE STORM), Allesandro Nivola (I WANT YOU, GOAL!) and Gina Gershon (BOUND, SHOWGIRLS).

Customer Reviews

THE BEST ACTION THRILLER EVER!
This film I honestly thought was the best action thriller I have ever seen, with amazing gun fights, excellent stunts and a brilliant plot. John Travalta is Sean Archer, a top FBI Agent who was just brought to justice the killer of his young son, Castor Troy. But there is a complication. Although his family can settle down and live in peace, there is a bomb planted somewhere in LA but only Castor and his buddies know where. To solve this, Archer agrees to a ridiculous operation to have his face swapped with Castor's (who is in a coma), his voice and his hair aswell. As Archer goes undercover as Castor in a high-force prison, he finds out information about the whereabouts of the bomb. But then the real Castor wakes out of his coma and burns all the documents that prove the face-swap ever happened and kills all the people who know about it. Sean soon realises that he is stuck in jail, whilst Castor lives his life. As further complications ensue, the action and stunts of John Woo get better and better. Both Nicholas Cage and John Travolta have to act each other's characters and do it very well when they must. This film is absolutely brilliant. BUY IT NOW!!!

When You Become Obsessed With the Enemy, You Become the Enemy
"Face Off" is that rarest of films, an intelligent and soulful action movie which is both excellent and bad in equal measure.

In fact, as far as I can remember, only "The Last Boy Scout" starring Bruce Willis was comparable; an exploration of the characters' humanity which was almost ruined by the usual clichés.

Aside from the slow-motion gun battle in which the young boy is listening to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," almost all of the `Action' in this film is gratuitous rubbish. The metaphors are so blatant that they might as well be highlighted in neon. Even the plot itself is wildly implausible and full of gaping chasms. So in the end, the one thing that earned this film four stars was Nicolas Cage's incredible acting.

To be honest, as far as I'm concerned, John Travolta couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. But alongside his spectacular role as the terrorist Castor Troy, (a role which he pulled off magnificently but Travolta hammed up `til I wanted to cringe,) Cage's performance as John Travolta `Playing' Castor Troy was one of the best that I've ever seen.

Indeed, if it wasn't for Nicolas Cage, the film's message might have been buried. But thanks to his performance as the tortured agent who is given the identity of his nemesis, it should be clear to anyone who's actually paying attention.

"When You Become Obsessed With the Enemy, You Become the Enemy." In this case, literally.

After the murder of his son, the agent became totally obsessed with tracking down his killer. As one of the incidental songs states rather blatantly, the only thing that keeps him going is his desire for revenge.

He's long since ceased to be a husband and father to his wife and surviving daughter, throwing himself into his work to try and avoid his pain.

Even when he thinks that Troy is dead, he still can't let go of the guilt. But after spending a few weeks as the man who he's hunted for six years, seeing first hand what he's lost, what he's become and what is truly important, he's finally able to move forward again and get on with his life.

Action, Special Effects, Bullets what more would you want
As a huge fan of both John Travolta who plays Sean Archer and Nicolas Cage who plays Castor Troy. I found this film a real action packed adventure. Sean the good guy and the bad guy battle it out as Sean wants to revenge the murders of his son by Castor. With some amazing special effects Sean and Caster end up swapping faces and the films plot really starts to keep the viewer enthralled. With amazon action scenes but the master of Action director John Woo I highly recommend this film.