Face/Off

I remember loving this movie when I was in high school. I was less experienced then, and my tastes were a little different, though they hinted of things to come. Now, approximately ten years later, I can recollect exactly the things that made this movie so great to me then, even though they don’t really have that effect now. Eleven years later, Face/Off doesn’t have the same effect on me, but it still holds a bit of the person I used to be, and I’m kind of fond of that person.

Directed by John Woo, the king of modern Hong Kong action flicks, Face/Off is only his third North American offering, though he has over 20 Hong Kong films to his credit. It stars John Travolta and Nicholas Cage, both playing the same two characters: FBI supercop Sean Archer and criminal kingpin Castor Troy. After a high-action first act with Travolta playing Archer and Cage playing Troy, they do a little switch. The movie, very wisely, doesn’t do this through some mystical means that makes them trade bodies; it’s not that kind of movie. Instead, it uses ordinary science… Okay, not ordinary, as this advanced of science isn’t actually possible, but the movie certainly goes all out to make you believe it. Both starring actors did extensive development of the characters, and also studied each other very minutely, getting all the movements and mannerisms of the other one down. The results are the viewer having a very definite idea of who’s Castor and who’s Sean, despite the fact that each is played by two different actors. You see Troy and Archer, not whoever is playing them at the time.

Face/Off contains all the prerequisite explosions, gun battles, and general mayhem for any John Woo film, but what I found more interesting was the question of self that the movie presents. There is one scene where Archer and Troy are facing each other with guns drawn, only there is a mirror between them on each side. So each is seeing himself in the reflection, only it’s not really himself; it’s his rival. The hatred these two share for each other is long-standing, and in that moment, you see it in both of their eyes; not only in the men, but their reflections as well. It is a masterfully done scene.

Face/Off doesn’t get everything right, though. Like in any action movie, every single character in it is an absolutely terrible marksman. There is shooting up the wazoo, but people only actually get shot when it serves the story. Dominique Swain, who plays Archer’s teenage daughter, proves her utter uselessness and lack of any acting chops here. When Troy masquerades as Archer, living in his home and interacting with his family, he is so obviously not Archer, and Dr. Eve Archer (Joan Allen) should have realized that from her first encounter with him. The entire sequence where Archer (as Troy) goes to prison stretches believability beyond its limits. Everything from the prison being a giant magnetic field to the set-up and layout prove that the designers didn’t have a freakin’ clue how a prison actually works. But the best part is this: the prison is built on a converted oil rig, and there is just ocean all around. Despite this, Archer escapes by jumping in the water and swimming to shore… which is where, exactly? About 100 miles sound right? Also, the guys in the helicopter fire their guns where the bullets could reach explosives stored on the rig’s deck. Oops, I guess they forgot where they were. WTF???

But, it’s an action flick, so those issues can be put aside with a little effort. The mano a mano fight scenes are top notch, and the two stars play both of their characters extremely well. The ending, however, is so sappy that it almost cancels out the rest of the film… almost, but not quite. I can understand what got me so jazzed about it when I was in high school, but I’ve moved on the what I think are better things. Still, Face/Off provides great thrills, and even a bit of nostalgia for me.

Iconic Lines:
“I could eat a peach for hours.”
“Wheeeeee! What a predicament!”
“No more drugs for that man.”

22 Rating: 6

Particle Man