| | | "In Order to Trap Him, He Must Become Him."
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby, Digital Audio, English, Dolby Surround Sound
FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) knows how to stop elusive terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). He'll become him. Archer undergoes a futuristic surgery and has Troy's face mapped onto his, then infiltrates the terrorist's world to discover his deadly secrets. But as much as Archer looks and acts like Troy, he doesn't really know him. He never figures Troy will retaliate and force doctors to transform him into Archer. Now the agent faces a shattering nightmare: his archrival is living with his family.The Travolta/Cage star-power comes on strong and so does the excitement in this roaring thrill machine of a movie directed by John Woo (Broken Arrow). So buckle up. It's going to be a furious fight.
"...may be [Woo's] finest moment so far which, by default, puts it in as having a strong claim on the title "best action movie ever made"." Adam Smith, Empire
"...relentlessly exciting, thanks to Woo's operatically staged fight and chase scenes and the bravura acting of the two stars." Andy Seiler, USA Today
"A delirious mixture of spectacular gun battles, furious explosions and breathtaking stunt work..." Desson Thomson, The Washington Post
"...a mega-movie...strong characters, smart plotting, breathless action and a gimmick that hasn't been seen before." Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
"...the first to balance [Woo's] visual imagination with the emotional intensity of his Hong Kong films." Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
"...[an] elegant, high-spirited, intensely satisfying production..." Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
"Exciting and then some...supercharged images of balletic brutality and spiritual catharsis with an off-the-wall humor..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
The ordeal of superheroic, singularly dedicated FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) is only beginning after finally capturing his archnemesis, Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage), an elusive, maniacal terrorist who claimed the life of Archer's son. While Troy languishes in a coma, Archer surgically "borrows" Troy's face in an attempt to gather evidence about Troy's last bomb--which is currently ticking away in a Los Angeles office building. Trouble ensues when Troy wakes up faceless, borrows Archer's visage, and makes a mess of Archer's life; all the while, both men struggle to adapt to their new identities while struggling to blow each other away. Another balletically filmed, thematically complex action-smorgasbord from Hong Kong-vet John Woo. Academy Award Nomination: Best Sound Effects Editing.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Stereo | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Face/Off - DVD Review By: Chris Barsanti - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 9/11/2007 9:28 PM | |
It's hard to remember the whooshing sighs of disappointment from his fans that greeted John Woo in 1996 when, after so many half-steps and mis-starts, he made his big Hollywood debut with the stolen-nuke thriller Broken Arrow. Having left the Hong Kong business on a high with 1992's psychotic near-parody Hard Boiled, Woo did a Jean-Claude Van Damme flick -- 1993's Hard Target, which was heavily botched by studio interference but still contained some brilliant work -- before deciding to go seriously Hollywood. For Broken Arrow, he toned down his trademark mix of ultra-violent flourishes and teary-eyed humanism to concentrate on doing a by-the-book mid-'90s action flick that was generic in the extreme but raked in the money....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 8/22/2006 |
| Running Time: 140 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1997 | | Catalog ID: 154957 | | UPC: 00097361549576 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
MTV Award (1998) |  | Face/Off, Winner, Best Action Sequence | | | Face/Off, Nominee, Best Movie | | John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Winner, Best On-Screen Duo | |
Oscar (1998) | | | Mark P. Stoeckinger, Per Hallberg, Nominee, Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing | |
MTV Award (1998) | | | Nicolas Cage, Nominee, Best Male Performance | | | Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Nominee, Best Villain |
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...FACE/OFF is relentlessly exciting, thanks to Woo's operatically staged fight and chase scenes and the bravura acting of the two stars..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 stars 06/27/1997 p.1DNew York Times
"...A mega-movie that actually delivers what mega-movies promise: strong characters, smart plotting, breathless action and a gimmick that hasn't been seen before..." 06/27/1997 p.C1 Los Angeles Times
"...A delicious inside-out double-reverse movie that's as outrageous and over the top as anyone could want..." 06/27/1997 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...This is an actor's dream, and Travolta and Cage make the most of it....The high-tech stuff is flawlessly done..." 06/27/1997 p.33 Entertainment Weekly
"...[A] successful mating of Hollywood brawn and crazy HK grace..." 01/11/2002 p.41 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] hugely enjoyable cat and mouse bullet fest....This is Woo's best US film..." 11/23/2007 p.111 Wall Street Journal
"The co-stars' pairing and facial sharing makes FACE/OFF a crazy thrill." 11/20/2009 ReelViews 8 of 10
Face/Off, the third English-language feature from acclaimed Hong Kong director John Woo, isn't the best movie of the summer, but it certainly features some of the best action. Woo, who is known and appreciated for his unique stylistic approach to violence and bloodshed, creates a kinetic ballet of bullets and explosions that drives the adrenaline level through the roof. There are problems with this film, some of which are quite obvious, but the end result is much like Woo's 1996 effort, Broken Arrow -- as long as you don't think too much, the action maelstrom will suck you into its vortex and keep you spinning for roughly two hours...To Woo's credit, he doesn't stick strictly to action. Face/Off is only in overdrive for about two-thirds of its running length. The rest of the movie is devoted to such mundane tasks and plot exposition, character and relationship development, and ruminations on philosophical issues like identity. While there's very little of the latter (certainly not enough to turn off viewers who don't like their action leavened with anything intellectual), there is enough to give Face/Off an interesting subtext...Face/Off is primarily for hard-core action junkies and those who appreciate Woo's inimitable style. Like the director's other two Western films (Hard Target and Broken Arrow), this is a flawed and occasionally ridiculous piece of work, but there's enough here to hold just about anyone's interest, and it's almost always great fun. The movie is brash, loud, and far from the intellectual cutting-edge, but, on those occasions when Face/Off gets everything right, it's capable of moments of rare cinematic perfection. That alone makes it worth the price of admission. - James Berardinelli
San Francisco Chronicle 10 of 10
``Face/Off'' is the cream of this year's summer movies. It's the picture that proves action films don't have to be silly, that a few thrill sequences don't mean every other value has to be shot to pieces...In ``Face/Off"...the action is bigger and more imaginatively filmed than in any of the current blockbusters, yet the movie's strongest moments have nothing to do with action. Directed by John Woo, ``Face/Off'' is the most dazzling, eerie and evocative film of the year...It's easily the best acted action thriller since Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones' ``The Fugitive'' four years ago. Yet the unique acting challenges presented by ``Face/Off'' -- as well as the peculiar implications of its story -- make ``The Fugitive'' seem pedestrian. Unlike, say, ``Batman & Robin,'' in which an audience knows exactly what to expect, ``Face/Off'' is elusive and full of surprises. Its meaning can't be exhausted in a single viewing...``Face/Off'' can be enjoyed in a number of ways. The thrill-ride stuff is here. With its full-tilt acting, it is also a riff on stardom and personality...Hong Kong-to-Hollywood director Woo (``Broken Arrow,'' ``Hard Boiled'') plays with the notion of the subjectivity of viewpoint in a remarkable sequence in which a boy witnesses a horrific gun battle while wearing a Walkman and listening to ``Over the Rainbow.'' The scene becomes a wild, slow-motion dance, but not Woo's usual death-as-orgasm thing, fortunately. Rather, through the child's eyes, Woo turns the violence into something distant and awesome...This is grand movie making with grand acting. Travolta and Cage go up against each other, and neither one loses. Everyone wins. - Mick LaSalle
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  5 | | Plot |  4.5 | | Acting | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 THE BEST JOHN WOO MOVIE I HAVE SEEN YET !!!! Wednesday, February 09, 2000
ICE COLD from Flagstaff, Arizona
YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS MOVIE TO UNDERSTAND IT. UNLINE OTHER MOVIES, THIS ISN'T VERY CONFUSING, BUT RATHER EASY TO FOLLOW. I REALLY LIKED THE SWITCHING OF TROVOLTA AND CAGE AS HEROES AND VILANS. A MUST SEE MOVIE. Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 Best of the Best Tuesday, February 08, 2000
Harris Chi from Houston, TX
The best action movie i have ever seen Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 A Perfect Ten Friday, October 01, 1999
LaTonya from Glenview, IL
This is one movie that I can truly say is just simply excellent,excellent,and excellent. I'm not sure who I like playing the bad guy the most. The reversed role playing was simply amazing down to every last detail and it makes you wonder just how far one would go to get the bad guy, to get revenge. There is just not enough I can say to explain the level of intensity of this movie, it just keep you wanting more. I must admit after I saw it and it came on video, every time I rent it I watch it at least four times. This is a definite movie to own. Now I plan to own it on DVD before I Buy the DVD Player. Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 Good action, silly plot. Tuesday, September 28, 1999
A Viewer from Berkitsville, MD
Good action, stunts, and lots of guns. The plot is somewhat silly though. Think about it. Wouldn't it be easier to torture the little brother for the location of the bomb than to impersonate being Caster? Even if u were to do this, wouldn't it be safer to cut off Castor's leg or kill him after the operation? U would only need his face and everyone assumes he is dead anyway. Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 Action that Never Stops Tuesday, June 01, 1999
A Viewer from Portland, OR
WOW! John Woo's third American film is filled with fantastic action which must be seen to be believed. A strong cast backups up a fairly recylced storyline. But this movie isn't about deep plots. It's about pure adreneline. Was this review helpful?
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