While the 1997 science fiction action filmFace/Off, which is now available to watch through streaming, features numerous spectacular action sequences typical of its director, action maestro John Woo, the film’s success is mostly attributable to the performances ofNicolas Cageand John Travolta and the obvious sense of fun that the pair exhibit in playing hated rivals,FBI agent Sean Archerand terrorist Castor Troy, who eventually switch faces and lives.
An identity-switching role is an actor’s dream, and the fact thatFace/Offis able to transcend its wacky premise is a testament to how Cage and Travolta, through their effective mimicry of each other’s mannerisms and well-defined personality quirks, generate fascination and tension by forcing the viewer to interpret Archer and Troy’s scenes through the prism of the other character’s point-of-view. The joyful synergy that exists between Cage and Travolta inFace/Offseemed to ensure that they would reunite for more films, especially afterFace/Off, which grossed over $245 million at the worldwide box office, became a commercial and critical success. However, while Cage reunited with Woo in the 2002 war filmWindtalkers,Cage and Travolta haven’t worked together sinceFace/Off.
With the announcement of the development of adirect sequel toFace/Off, there has been speculation that they will appear in the proposed sequel, which is set to be directed by Adam Wingard. While the idea of Archer and Troy both returning for a sequel seems impractical, given what happens to Troy near the end ofFace/Off, stranger things have happened.
Face/Off Surgically Removes the Line Between Good and Evil
Face / Off
Relentless FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must go dangerously undercover to investigate the location of a lethal biological weapon planted by his arch rival, the sadistic terrorist-for-hire Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). After undergoing a radical surgical procedure, Archer literally “borrows” Troy’s face and identity to carry out his mission. But things go awry when Troy, emerging from a coma, transforms into Archer and wreaks havoc upon his life, both at work and at home.As the bomb continues to tick and the tension mounts, it becomes a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse as both Archer and Troy, ironically trapped in their enemy’s body, attempt to save face their own.
Despite its crazy face-switching premise,Face/Offcontains John Woo’s core themes of family, grief, and revenge against the elegantly stylized backdrop ofWoo’s over-the-top action scenes. This is visible in the film’s opening scene, in which Sean Archer rides a merry-go-round with his son, Michael, who is killed after a bullet from a high-powered rifle fired by terrorist Castor Troy strikes Michael after going through Archer’s chest. As a wounded Archer gazes upon his dead son, all that’s missing is the tragic symbolism ofWoo’s beloved white doves, which appear later in the film.
Following a six-year-long manhunt, Archer ambushes Troy, who is injured and ends up in a comatose state before Archer can learn the location of a bomb that’s set to detonate in Los Angeles at some point in the next few days. To gain this information, Archer reluctantly undergoes a radical face-transplant operation to take Troy’s face and voice.
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Archer-as-Troy then enters the high-security prison in which Troy’s accomplice and younger brother, Pollux, is being held in order to discover the bomb’s location. However, there are complications. After Troy unexpectedly awakens from his coma and discovers his face is missing, Troy forces the operating surgeon to transplant Archer’s face and voice onto Troy.
After killing everyone with knowledge of the surgery, Troy occupies Archer’s life, while Archer-as-Troy is trapped in prison, where he’s unable to transmit the location of the bomb and helpless to prevent Troy from living with Archer’s wife and teenage daughter.
Face/Off Marked a Turning Point in the Careers of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta
For Nicolas Cage and John Travolta,Face/Offarrived at a time when their careers were in a golden age period, in which they could seemingly do no wrong. For Cage, whose action career was unexpectedly launched by his Academy Award-winning performance in the 1995 drama filmLeaving Las Vegas,Face/Offcontinued his winning streak, followingCon AirandThe Rock.
Prior toFace/Off, Travolta, who previously worked with John Woo in the 1996 action filmBroken Arrow, was still basking inhis remarkable Hollywood comebackwith the 1994 crime drama filmPulp Fiction, which Travolta, who’s a decade older than Cage, followed with his memorable performance in the acclaimed 1995 gangster comedy filmGet Shorty.
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However, while they both maintained major film stardom throughout the 2000s,both experienced a similarly precipitous subsequent career decline, as evidenced by the stream of low-budget independent films that Cage and Travolta have starred in throughout the past decade. Cage’s most recent film, the horror filmLonglegs, becamehis first box-office hitas a leading man in over a decade.
For John Woo,Face/Offrepresents the peak ofWoo’s Hollywood career, which began with the 1993 Jean-Claude Van Damme action thriller filmHard Targetand seemingly ended with the 2003 action thriller filmPaycheck, until he returned to North America in 2023 with the action thriller filmSilent Night.Face/Off, more than Woo’s other Hollywood films, provided the filmmaker with the creative control with which to most effectively realize his distinctive vision.
Face/Off Is a Diabolical, Smart Thriller
Face/Offis one of the most striking cinematic examples of how an inspired concept is virtually worthless without effective execution. While the film has been credited with translating its outlandish premise into great entertainment, it hasn’t received enough credit for the creativity and intelligence associated with itsface-switching concept.
One of the most effective scenes inFace/Offis a scene in which Archer-as-Troy goes into prison to meet Troy’s younger brother, Pollux, to find the location of a bomb that Pollux and Troy have planted somewhere in Los Angeles. Even though Archer looks and sounds exactly like Troy, through the aforementioned surgery and a microchip implanted in his larynx, Pollux seems to be immediately suspicious of Archer-as-Troy.
The tension builds in the scene until Archer-as-Troy cleverly diffuses Pollux’s suspicion and gains the vital information. Then, Archer is surprised by the appearance of a triumphant Troy-as-Archer, who gleefully informs Archer of Troy’s plan to destroy his life before Troy takes his own face back.Face/Offis streaming onMGM+.
