Face/Off (1997)

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

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

Mike Werb, Michael Colleary

Stars:

John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Prison Guard Walton
CCH Pounder	...	Hollis Miller
Robert Wisdom	...	Tito Biondi
Margaret Cho	...	Wanda
James Denton	...	Buzz (as Jamie Denton)
Matt Ross	...	Loomis

Storyline

Sean Archer, a very tough, rugged FBI Agent. Who is still grieving for his dead son Michael. Archer believes that his son's killer is his sworn enemy, a very powerful criminal, Castor Troy. One day, Archer has finally cornered Castor, however, their fight has knocked out Troy cold. As Archer finally breathes easy over the capture of his enemy, he finds out that Troy has planted a bomb that will destroy the entire city of Los Angeles and all of its inhabitants. Unfortunately the only other person who knows its location is Castor's brother Pollux, and he refuses to talk. The solution, a special operation doctor that can cut off people's faces, and can place a person's face onto another person. Archer undergoes one of those surgeries to talk to Pollux. However, Castor Troy somehow regains consciousness and now wants revenge on Archer for taking his face. Not only is Troy ruining Archer's mission, but his personal life as well. Archer must stop Troy again. This time, it's personal.

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist | bomb | coma | criminal | revenge | 

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Taglines:

To destroy your enemy, you must find him, face him, and then... become him.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

27 June 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contracara

Filming Locations:

Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£26,092 (UK) (2 January 1998)

Gross:

£6,163,073 (UK) (2 January 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Permut Presentations, Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Face/Off features actors Nicolas Cage and Thomas Jane who were each married to and divorced actress Patricia Arquette.

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Goofs

Only Dr. Walsh, Dr. Miller, and Tito were set on fire in the lab. Dr. Walsh's assistant was not killed in the fire set by Castor Troy and his men. Therefore, someone else knows the switch happened.

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Quotes

Castor Troy: Y'know, I could eat a peach for hours.

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Connections

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Ach, Ich Fuhl's"
Written by W.A. Mozart
Performed by Hungarian Festival Chorus & Failoni Orchestra

User Reviews

One of the greatest action films ever made

John Woo knows, if anybody, how to make good, stylish action. And that's exactly what this film is; good, cool, stylish action. The plot is great; fairly psychological and quite interesting. It has a fast(and remarkably even) pace, I don't think more than 30 minutes passes at any point in the movie without a giant action scene. All in all, I'd guess there are about four or five major shootouts, and two chase scenes which are each several minutes long(without getting repetitive, fortunately). The acting is excellent; every single major part is well-played. John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain... all give great, entirely believable performances. The best are definitely Travolta and Cage, though; fantastic, truly stellar performances. The characters are all well-written and credible, right down to the most minor one. The action is cool and very stylish, in every single action-scene. The theme of the film is great; of course, the story is completely unlikely, with the face-switching and all, but once you get past that, once you suspend disbelief, you'll most likely enjoy the film thoroughly. The script is excellent, plenty of action, drama, and thriller parts. Also, you gotta love the sharp contrast 3/4's into the movie, with the kid listening to sugary pop-music, while people are shooting intensely at each other. Great film. I recommend it to any fan of John Woo, Nicholas Cage, John Travolta and action films. 8/10