BBC iPlayer: Face Off (1997)

on Monday, May 30, 2011
'Face/Off' (1997) // Words: Saam Das


Director: John Woo // Cast: John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Dominique Swain

SYNOPSIS: "Action thriller in which an FBI agent agrees to have the face of a terrorist grafted onto his own head in order to discover the location of an enormous bomb." (bbc.co.uk)


Safe to say, John Woo's 1997 thriller 'Face/Off' is completely ridiculous. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage swap faces. And dubiously end up looking exactly like one other. But it's also entertaining and at times unexpectedly risqué - there's something of an incestual undercurrent running through much of the film.

If you enjoyed any of Woo's other forays into Hollywood, such as 'Broken Arrow' or 'Mission Impossible 2', then you're probably going enjoy this film. It shares much of the same stylised action that made Woo one of the most sought after action directors in the 90s.

Watch 'Face/Off' on BBC iPlayer until 12:34AM, Sunday 5 June '11. Purchase on DVD at Amazon.co.uk.

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