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The festive season is upon us and fans of Hong Kong cinema will be delighted to know that renowned director John Woo will be releasing a new film titled “Silent Night” in December. Known as the greatest of all time in the action genre, any movie from Woo is a treat. Therefore, it’s a perfect time to revisit his most iconic and crazily entertaining film.
In the movie Face/Off, John Travolta plays FBI agent Sean Archer, who is on the hunt for the infamous terrorist Castor Troy, portrayed by Nicolas Cage. After Troy attempts to murder him but accidentally kills Archer’s son, Archer becomes consumed by a desire for revenge. Six years later, Archer finally catches up to Castor and during their chaotic encounter, puts him in a coma. However, Castor has secretly planted a massive bomb in downtown Los Angeles and the only way for Archer to find out its location is through a face transplant surgery.
Thanks to a Special Ops plastic surgeon, Archer borrows Troy’s face and assumes his identity to obtain the bomb’s location from the only person who knows where it is: Troy’s brother Pollux (Alessandro Nivola). Things do not go to plan because, in a world where face swapping is possible, people can also wake from a coma like it was a restful afternoon nap – which is precisely what Troy does, before stealing Archer’s face.
Castor, not having the infamous reputation of being a terrorist, appears to take pleasure in Archer’s suburban lifestyle and undermining the FBI from the inside. He deals with challenges in a practical manner, building relationships with Archer’s family and potentially living a better life than his sworn enemy. Meanwhile, Archer experiences growing isolation and instability as he lives as the person who ruined his own family.
Woo established his renown through an impressive body of work, including acclaimed films like The Killer and Hard Boiled, which sparked a new subgenre of action movies known as “heroic bloodshed.” He showcased his talents in Hollywood with the underrated Broken Arrow in 1996 and the exceptionally well-crafted Hard Target. However, Face/Off embodies all the signature elements of his style. It overflows with excessive slow-motion shots, startled birds, intense gunfights with two guns, and numerous explosions. As Chekhov once said, “If there is a flammable gas canister in the first act, it must explode behind Nicolas Cage.”
Woo is fortunate to have two main actors who are not familiar with holding back. In Face/Off, we witness one of Cage’s iconic performances, whether he is dressed as a priest and rocking out to a choir, or losing control in a fight in prison. Cage fully embraces exaggerated facial expressions and wide-eyed stares, making it easy to believe he is on the brink of insanity. Let us also acknowledge Travolta, who delivers an equally intense and offbeat performance, matching Cage’s energy and delivering some truly memorable one-liners.
The term “subtle” is rarely associated with Cage, Travolta, Woo, or Face/Off. However, their larger-than-life performances can make it easy to ignore the fact that the absurdity in the film is somewhat plausible. At no point does it seem like Nicolas Cage is simply imitating John Travolta, or vice versa. This is the essence of Face/Off: unwavering conviction.
The film Face/Off is filled with intense action and impressive stunts. One standout scene, inspired by a moment in Hard Boiled, features a child listening to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” through headphones while observing an FBI raid. The peaceful music serves as a stark contrast to the chaotic gunfire as both gangsters and SWAT teams descend from the ceiling.
The epic climax follows the signature style of Woo. The ultimate confrontation occurs in a church, featuring an abundance of slow-motion gun battles, a tense six-way standoff, and an intense speedboat chase to top it all off. If Woo is familiar with the saying “less is more”, Face/Off implies that he may not have fully embraced it. It is brilliantly chaotic and stands as one of the best, over-the-top action films of the 1990s.
Source: theguardian.com
