Face/Off (1997)

In order to foil an extortion plot, an FBI agent undergoes a facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity and physical appearance of a terrorist, but the plan turns from bad to worse when the same terrorist impersonates the FBI agent.

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

Mike Werb, Michael Colleary

Stars:

John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Sean Archer
Nicolas Cage	...	Castor Troy
Joan Allen	...	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, is still grieving for his dead son Michael. Archer believes that his son's killer is his sworn enemy and 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:

face transplant | face | death of child | title spoken by character | prison | 

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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 | Sci-Fi | 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:

Face Off

Filming Locations:

Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,387,530, 29 June 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$112,225,777, 2 November 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$128,000,000, 22 March 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Permut Presentations, Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SDDS (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally written in 1990, the script was first optioned by producer Joel Silver before falling into the lap of Michael Douglas who, the screenwriters fervently hoped, would star in it alongside Harrison Ford. Instead, Douglas took over as producer with the roles of cop, Sean Archer, and villain, Castor Troy, eventually going to John Travolta and Nicolas Cage respectively.

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Goofs

When Cage is shooting Travolta with the Uzi type weapon in the room with mirrors, the gun has no muzzle flash in several shots.

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Quotes

Sean Archer: [to Eve] I was thinking the other day, I remember I once took a date out for surf and turf, not knowing she was a vegetarian, so she ate bread and broke her tooth on a rice seed, we drove around all night, looking for an all night dentist, and he was so drunk he fixed the wrong tooth, when I finally brought her home, even though it must've hurt like hell, you kissed me

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Alternate Versions

In the Malaysian version all scenes that have reference to sexual topics are removed, e.g. Castor Troy touching the young choir singers behind in the beginning

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Her Face Who Was Unemployable (2011)

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Soundtracks

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (Part I)
Written and Performed by James Brown
Courtesy of Polydor Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

An Action Classic That Will Never Lose Its Appeal

I consider John Woo to be one of the greatest action movie directors in the world,and "Face/Off" proves just that.However,the element that makes this film one of the most intense and spectacular action movies to ever come from Hollywood is the presence of two tremendously talented actors,both of whom are my favorites.Yes,when you have John Travolta and Nicholas Cage together in a movie ,the results are bound to be over the top. John Travolta plays Sean Archer,a dedicated FBI agent who survived a murder attempt by notorious criminal Castor Troy six years ago. However,tragically his son died instead of him and since than Archer is relentlessly chasing Troy.Nicholas Cage plays Troy,and the film begins with a spectacular chase where we see the sheer intensity generated by both these great actors,and you realize that this is not going to be just another action flick. Troy escapes,but his younger brother Pollux Troy(played by Alessandro Nivola) falls into Archer's hands,along with a floppy that contains the blueprint for a bomb to be detonated in downtown L.A. Pollux refuses to reveal the location of the bomb and then a desperate Archer is given an option that is so spine-chilling that Archer refuses immediately.Realizing soon that he has no other choice,he decides to do what he is asked to-to exchange his face for Troy's, and what's more,to alter his entire physical attributes,so that he can go to the prison where his brother is being kept,and fool him into believing that he is Troy and get the location of the bomb from him.The plan seems to work until the moment Castor realizes what has happened,puts on Archer's face,and sets out for revenge.He fools the FBI,fools Archer's wife and sleeps with her and just when one thinks that this is too much,the real Archer escapes prison and it's payback time. Both Travolta and Cage play their roles perfectly,and they do a fantastic job playing each other too. The rest of the cast simply fades away in comparison,and who cares ? Dominique Swain as Archer's rebellious daughter looks good on screen-but that's about it.Joan Allen as his wife is not too impressive either.Gina Gershon as Troy's lover seems much more real in comparison.John Woo provides the film with a novel and flawless script,and some of the best action sequences ever filmed.This film is an absolute must for any action fan,and definitely the best Woo ever made.