Face/Off (1997)

Director:

John Woo

Writers (WGA):

Mike Werb (written by) &
Michael Colleary (written by)

Release Date:

27 June 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In order to catch him, he must become him.

Plot:

A revolutionary medical technique allows an undercover agent to take the physical appearance of a major criminal and infiltrate his organization.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Bomb | Prison | Undercover | Identity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Sean Archer / Castor Troy
Nicolas Cage	...	Castor Troy / Sean Archer
Joan Allen	...	Dr. Eve Archer
Alessandro Nivola	...	Pollux Troy
Gina Gershon	...	Sasha Hassler
Dominique Swain	...	Jamie Archer
Nick Cassavetes	...	Dietrich Hassler
Harve Presnell	...	Victor Lazarro
Colm Feore	...	Dr. Malcolm Walsh
John Carroll Lynch	...	Walton, Prison Guard
CCH Pounder	...	Dr. Holllis Miller
Robert Wisdom	...	Tito Biondi
Margaret Cho	...	Wanda
James Denton	...	Buzz (as Jamie Denton)
Matt Ross	...	Loomis

Also Known As:

Face Off (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for intense sequences of strong violence, and for strong language.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34954) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) | UK:18 (re-rating) (uncut) (2004) | South Korea:15 (video rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:14 | India:A (cinema release) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Austria:16 | Belgium:KNT | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: When Dubov pushes the gurney into the guards on the elevator.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Castor as Archer reads Eve's journal the latest date reads the 17th which would put it the day before the bomb at the convention center was to explode. But as he reads it, the text states the Archer had come home after catching Castor and told her that he had to go back on assignment. The events described would actually have happened on the 7th, according to the movie's time line.

Quotes:

Pollux Troy: Seeing that face on you makes me afraid my tiramisu might come back up.
Castor Troy: Well, think about me. This nose. This hair. This ridiculous chin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Reaper: Business Casualty (#2.12)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Miserere

Nicolas Cage and John Travolta Make the Film Succeed

"Face/Off" is a somewhat complicated action thriller which involves an obsessed FBI agent (John Travolta) who decides to become a comatose criminal (Nicolas Cage) by literally trading faces with him. The purpose in doing this is to learn where a bomb is by going undercover in a maximum-security prison and getting the information from Cage's brother. When Cage's character comes out of his coma, he decides to take Travolta's face. Still with me? In short Travolta's FBI agent is now Cage's crazed criminal and vise versa. What follows is a wild and crazy thrill ride that is a bit hard to keep straight, but ultimately fun to watch and quite satisfying. Overall a really good film. 4.5 out of 5 stars.