Review of Face/Off (1997) by Ben L — 01 Dec 2016

I've never been a strong believer in the concept of movies that are "so bad they're good." But if there ever was an example to prove me wrong it might have to be Face/Off. This movie is based on a stupid premise, it has a horrible script, and it includes every kind of excess you can imagine.

Everything that went into this movie screams "BAD", but somehow what came out on the other end was pure, balls-to-the-wall FUN! You have 2 of the craziest actors of all time (Travolta and Cage) both overacting to a degree that looks downright painful.

Meanwhile, director John Woo doesn't want to be outdone by these big acting performances so he makes a world full of gasoline so that everything will blow up fantastically, he has doves flying everywhere, and he includes a plethora of Mexican stand-offs involving more and more people every time.

Yes, the science behind this movie is insane, and the plot makes no sense at all, so I'm never going to rate/rank it all that highly because I see all the flaws. However, this is one film I can't imagine someone watching and saying "That was boring.

" It's as if every 5 minutes the movie gets a shot of pure adrenaline right in the heart and it never lets down. The acting is over-the-top, the action is even more over-the-top, and any time you think John Woo will step off that gas pedal, he mashes it down to the floorboards again.

It's so odd, because I don't like Face/Off in the way that I like good movies, the whole thing is so dumb! Is a movie really good when it's not intended to be a comedy but I can't stop laughing throughout? Despite my reservations, I'll watch Face/Off any time because it is one of the best "shut off your brain" popcorn blockbusters of all time.