Face/Off

There are 192 days left in the year. I am going to watch one film in every one of those days, review them and share my thoughts on here. I had attempted to watch one for all 365 days of the year but it got away from me, so I am cutting my losses and starting a new challenge.

Anyway! Movie 1/192-Face/Off: Starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.



I imagine on another day in another universe I might have hated this film. As it stands the film has caught me in the right frame of mind and I loved every minute.

So, for anyone who doesn't know, the story sees Sean Archer(Travolta) finally catch his long-time nemesis Castor Troy(Cage) but, in doing so, finds out that there is one last terrorist plot left to deal with. The only person that knows the details of the forthcoming atrocities is Troy's brother, Pollux, who won't talk to anyone but the man himself.

With Troy in a coma, using a state-of-the-art surgical procedure, John Travolta becomes Nicolas Cage and infiltrates a maximum security prison, and Castor Troy's world, in order to get the details and save the day.

This is a completely overblown and over the top action movie but some key things make it stand out from the rest.

For one, everyone involved commits fully to the film and there are no moments of winking at the camera or general self-awareness. Also, there are some interesting characters. Castor Troy is such a bad, bad man but is impossible to hate, through his charisma and utter madness. Sean Archer is a boring, straight-laced action hero, but his pain and suffering earn him a place in our hearts.


The facial swap is key and the initial hilarity of watching Nicolas Cage trying to act like John Travolta trying to act like Nicolas Cage is undeniable. Travolta has his moments but it is Cage who steals the show here.

The film never lets up in the action stakes and continues to make us laugh in the humour stakes. From start to finish it is hilarious, ridiculous, concerning and interesting. Between the explosion of a plane in the first ten minutes and the high-speed boat chase at the last we meet and care for a series of characters and are delivered a satisfying and entertaining movie, both in spite of and thanks to its obvious flaws.

I could understand why someone would hate this film but I imagine it impossible to have middling feelings for this movie, and I personally loved it, in the way that I loved Kung-Fu Hustle and Battle Royale.

9/10