If you happen to love a good action film you have no doubt seen or at least heard of Face/Off from 1997 starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. It’s been available on blu-ray for a while so I think it about time I take a closer look at it. If you haven’t been following my Nicolas Cage season I’m taking a look at all of the films that are available on our favourite disc format, so without further ado here’s my Face/Off blu-ray review.
- Face/Off (1997)
- Genre: Action
- UK Rating 18
- Blu-ray Released: 1 October 2007
Plot
When FBI Special Agent Sean Archer’s son is killed by Castor Troy he is left devastated and vows to bring him to justice. Six years later he is involved in an operation that does just that but in doing so it leaves Castor Troy in a coma. That would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact the Troy has a bomb located somewhere in the city with the only one able to disclose its whereabouts is Castor Troy’s brother and designer of the device. With only days left until the device is detonated Archer is given a bizarre offer to convince the brother into inadvertently disclosing the location. This does however require transplanting Castor Troy’s face onto Archer’s.
The film is directed by John Woo with the cinematography side of things that’s taken care of by Oliver Wood. There is little doubt that Woo knows how to make a great action movie, just look at Mission Impossible 2 for example. There is so much action in Face/Off that it’s hard to remember all of the sequences. It manages to do this whilst keeping the plot moving and interesting until the inevitable Face/Off ending. It’s all incredibly entertaining.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is by John Powell and provides a suitably satisfying action score.
Acting / Characters
The acting is deliberately over the top which is well suited to the films tone and humour. Cage starts off as the out of control guy before trading places with Travolta. Both play their roles perfectly and in doing so make Face/Off a joy to watch.
Cast
- John Travolta as Sean Archer/Castor Troy
- Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy/Sean Archer
- Joan Allen as Dr. Eve Archer
- Alessandro Nivola as Pollux Troy
- Gina Gershon as Sasha Hassler
- Dominique Swain as Jamie Archer
- Nick Cassavetes as Dietrich Hassler
It’s all incredibly entertaining.
Conclusion: Face/Off (1997) Film Review
Face/Off is a hugely entertaining action movie that begins with plenty of action and somehow manages to maintain the momentum throughout over two hours. Cage and Travolta make the film compelling viewing from start to end. If you love a good action film then Face/Off is a must see movie.
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Conclusion: Face/Off Blu-ray Review
The film came out in 1997 and thankfully there’s no issue with picture quality so I’ll move on to the extras. On the extras front there’s only a couple of things to look at such as a trailer and action sequence montage.
Extras
- Theatrical Trailer
- Movie Showcase
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Face/Off (1997)
MOVIE RATING: WELL WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
EXTRAS RATING: BASIC
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Face/Off (1997) Blu-ray
Face/Off (1997) is available now on blu-ray from Amazon.
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Face/Off (1997) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my Face/Off blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave them over on our Facebook page
Summary: Face/Off (1997) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Face/Off (1997)
Duration: 139 mins
Director(s): John Woo
Actor(s): John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain, Nick Cassavetes
Genre: Action
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
A hugely entertaining action movie that has excellent performances from both Cage and Travolta.
