FACE/OFF is a movie PAR-EXCELLENCE. There is no other way I can find to describe the well-deserved success of this BRILLIANTLY made movie. I would thus be captilazing words all-through to highlight the adjectives this MARVELLOUS movie deserves. It is truly an ASSET to action cinema!
When BIG TIME talented superstars like John Travolta and Nicolas Cage feature in a movie made by action maestro John Woo, the viewer is guaranteed HIGH QUALITY entertainment. FACE/OFF has such entertainment aplenty and fails to disappoint even in one scene!
Everything about the movie, from the concept, direction, performances, to each and every scene is a masterpiece in the movie. The success created by movie of such class remains unrepeated. Bollywood has failed to recreate the magic with similar storyline in flops like MADHOSHI and YAKEEN. FACE/OFF is the last movie one would like to copy, unless high-profile, highly-entertaining, and highly-classy SUPERSTARS like Travolta and Cage are at one’s disposal. Those two themselves are two BIG masterpieces that even Hollywood can’t replace, even with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or even Mel Gibson for that reason according to me. Let alone even comparing the likes of Keanu Reeves and Johny Depp with them. Travolta and Cage prove in this all-out action movie why they’re arguably the BEST, at least in a movie of this genre and subject, that any industry has to offer! Back in the last decade itself this movie became a BIG success, and rightly so it remains one of the best action products with slick cinematography, unparalleled quality of stunts, outstanding soundtrack, crisp editing, thrilling sequences, and ofcourse to re-iterate, HIGH-QUALITY performances by the lead pair whose chemistry, in one word, is pure ELECTRIFYING!
John Woo proves that another classic product like BROKEN ARROW was no fluke. FACE/OFF is the biggest proof of that. Movies like MI2 are just a presentation of John Woo’s talent in a minimal way. FACE/OFF exposes all the director’s abilities to make an all-out action movie that still have ingredients to please the whole family such as romance, intensity, comedy, etc. Besides making two highly successful actors play role reversals, meaning each other’s roles with switching, is an art in itself. But as said before, nothing looks hard for guys like Cage and Travoltal; the diversity of their talents is inexplicably brilliant!
Performances, therefore, as said throughout the review, are KNOCK-OUT; FLAWLESS! Period. They make this movie arguably the BEST EVVVVVER! John Travolta stuns in the role of a sincere cop cum sad father in the first half. He stuns with a twice bigger impact as Caster Troy in the second half. Nicolas Cage does the vice versa, he excels in the role of the merciless Caster Troy in the first half and wins equal sympathy for an award-winning performance as Sean Archer in the second half. Though the supporting cast does extremely well too, these two stalwarts just STEAL the show with their mega-brilliant performances.
FACE/OFF needs no recommendation. Unfortunately there are still people I know who have missed this movie, which according to me is a flawless action thriller. It is a masterpiece and the first, and to me also ONE of its kind! Watch it if you BY ANY CHANCE have NOT so far. Or watch it AGAIN, buy a DVD and do it as many times as you wish. The movie ROCKS and is worth everything spent to watch it, including the extremely precious time for some of us!