Face/Off (1997) Review

"I'd like to take his...his face...off."
-Sean Archer



Face/Off follows a relentless FBI Agent, Sean Archer (John Travolta), who is trying to catch an insane terrorist, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), who shot and killed Sean's son.  He finally does catch Castor, putting him in a coma, but not before he finds out that Castor has hidden a bomb somewhere in Los Angeles.  Sean undergoes a surgery that results in him switching faces with Castor, allowing Sean to go into prison and try to get the bomb's location out of Castor's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola).  Unfortunately, Castor wakes up from his coma, and armed with Sean's identity, he erases any trace of Sean's mission and takes over his life, leaving Sean to rot in prison.  Can Sean escape prison and convince anyone of the truth before it's too late?


What Works:

Face/Off is one of the most balls-to-the-wall insane movies I have ever seen.  It has some of the most over the top action and violence ever crammed into a movie.  It's completely ridiculous and a hell of a lot of fun.  It's proof that big, dumb, action movies, filled with explosions, can actually be good films (I'm looking at you Transformers).  You can't help but have a good time watching Face/Off, and you can tell the filmmakers had a good time making it.

The reason this movie works is because of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.  Both of them are playing pretty loony characters.  Cage is completely unhinged and Travolta has some issues handling his grief.  And when they switch roles, they get even crazier.  It's a lot of fun watching Cage play Travolta playing Cage (and vice-versa).  Both actors give it their all and the performances are extremely memorable.

Finally, I just have to mention the final scene, which involves Castor's son.  It could have come across  as extremely hokey, and it almost does, but the performances from Travolta and Joan Allen really save the moment and it's very emotional and a solid ending to the movie.


What Sucks:

My only real complaint with the movie is the way Sean starts his escape attempt by apologizing to a fellow inmate, Ivan Dubov (Chris Bauer).  The whole thing doesn't really make sense.  It leads to a strong action scene, but I think they could have found a better way to kick off Sean's escape.


Verdict:

Face/Off proves that even big, dumb, action movies can be good.  You can have an insane amount of explosions and still make a good movie.  It all comes down to the story and the acting, and Face/Off pulls it off spectacularly.

 9/10: Great 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more