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Face/Off [Blu-ray] [1997]
![Face/Off [Blu-ray] [1997]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wl4mvkHiL._SL160_.jpg)
RRP: £26.99
Our Price: £17.93 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
At his best, director John Woo turns action movies into ballets of blood and bullets grounded in character drama. Face/Off marks Woo's first American film to reach the pitched level of his best Hong Kong work (Hard-Boiled). He takes a patently absurd premise--hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery--and creates a double-barrelled revenge film driven by the split psyches of its newly redefined characters. FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must play the villain to move through the underworld while psychotic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) becomes a perversely paternal family man, while using every tool at his disposal to destroy his nemesis. Travolta vamps Cage's tics and flamboyant excess with the grace of a dancer after his transformation from cop to criminal, while Cage plays the sullen, bottled-up agent excruciatingly trapped behind the face of the man who killed his son. His attempts to live up to the terrorist's reputation become cathartic explosions of violence that both thrill and terrify him. This is merely icing on the cake for action fans, the dramatic backbone for some of the most visceral action thrills ever. Woo fills the screen with one show-stopping set-piece after another, bringing a poetic grace to the action freakout with sweeping camera work and sophisticated editing. This marriage of melodrama and mayhem ups the ante from cops-and-robbers clichés to a conflict of near-mythic levels. --Sean Axmaker
Editorial
Synopsis
The ordeal of super-heroic, singularly dedicated FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta – BLOW OUT, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) is only beginning after finally capturing his arch nemesis, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage – WILD AT HEART, NATIONAL TREASURE), an elusive, maniacal terrorist who claimed the life of Archer's son. While Troy languishes in a coma, Archer surgically 'borrows' Troy's face in an attempt to gather evidence about Troy's last bomb--which is currently ticking away in a Los Angeles office building. Trouble ensues when Troy wakes up faceless, borrows Archer's visage, and makes a mess of Archer's life; all the while, both men struggle to adapt to their new identities while struggling to blow each other away.
Another balletic, thematically complex action smorgasbord from Hong Kong action director John Woo (HARD BOILED, THE KILLER), FACE/OFF is the perfect showcase for the acting talents of Travolta and Cage, each spending most of the film perfectly imitating the other. The pair are also ably supported by Joan Allen (THE CONTENDER, THE ICE STORM), Allesandro Nivola (I WANT YOU, GOAL!) and Gina Gershon (BOUND, SHOWGIRLS).
Cut by the censors
Review date: 2008-02-13 Rating: 6 out of 10
Good film - but you need to buy the US release to avoid the censorship cuts. US version is unfortunately region coded. What is the point of region coding older films apart from being able to charge more in the UK? In fact what is the point of region coding period. It can only encourage piracy.
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Reviews
what can i say !!!
Review date: 2007-10-03 Rating: 10 out of 10
this film is now 10 years old and i remember watching it on release all that time ago
now with the modern high definition it looks as good today as it did back then
top stuff
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Linda Hoffman
Steve Hytner
Paul Hipp
Colm Feore
John Travolta
Creators:
John Travolta (Primary Contributor)
Colm Feore (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
EAN: 8717418129323
Binding: Blu-ray
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Widescreen,
Release date: 2007-10-01
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Running time: 133 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1997
Language: English (Original Language)