Review of Face/Off (1997) by David G — 01 Jun 2016

Crazy 90's action flick from John Woo, arguably the most popular of his Hollywood endeavours. The action is of course completely over the top and full of his trademarks - crazy slow mo dives, akimbo pistols, doves and pretentious symbolism. Lots of fun though if you like that kind of thing (and hey, who doesn't?), especially the spectacular speed boat finale. Most of the fun however comes from the performances of Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, who play a psychotic terrorist-for-hire and the FBI agent out to hunt him down respectively and through the miracles of preposterous movie science end up swapping faces and assuming each others identities. Both Cage and Travolta - each as famously fearless when it comes to hamming it up as the other - are having a whale of a time with the roles and it's great watching them rock multiple personalities. Perhaps inevitably the melodrama and sentimentality mirrors the action in its brazenness but it doesn't get under your skin and actually works out quite well, thanks mainly to the always dependable Joan Allen who plays Travolta's long-suffering wife.

Classic 90's nonsense. Four slow mo doves out of five.