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Face/Off

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for Face/Off R Released Jun 27, 1997 2h 18m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 98 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Obsessed with bringing terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) to justice, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) tracks down Troy, who has boarded a plane in Los Angeles. After the plane crashes and Troy is severely injured, possibly dead, Archer undergoes surgery to remove his face and replace it with Troy's. As Archer tries to use his disguise to elicit information about a bomb from Troy's brother, Troy awakes from a coma and forces the doctor who performed the surgery to give him Archer's face.
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Face/Off

Face/Off

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Critics Consensus

John Travolta and Nicolas Cage play cat-and-mouse (and literally play each other) against a beautifully stylized backdrop of typically elegant, over-the-top John Woo violence.

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Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine Face/Off immediately dials in on the operatic lunacy of its two leading men. Dec 17, 2023 Full Review Patrick Z. McGavin Chicago Reader Redeemed by Woo’s bravura skills, Face/Off becomes more than just a genre exercise. Rated: 3/4 Jun 15, 2022 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Woo, a master of poetical carnage, mixes kitsch, sadism, sentiment and comedy with choreographic precision. Feb 28, 2018 Full Review Gayle Sequeira BFI In John Woo’s Face/Off, the unhinged intensity of the actors’ performances and outlandish absurdity of its plot is matched only by the relentless excess of its action. Nov 17, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies In a time when the action genre seems to struggle to find its identity, it says something that the 27-year-old “Face/Off” still holds up against much of what passes for action cinema today. Rated: 4/5 Feb 28, 2024 Full Review Allison Rose FlickDirect Face/Off's action sequences are classic Woo with bullets flying every which way and plethora of guns to go around. Rated: 4.5/5 Dec 28, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alfie M Face/Off is an out of body experience. This film literally has everything you could want in an action film and even at times feels like a thriller. The films opening is superb and honestly that's just the whole film, I am also really keen to now view John Woo's other films such has Hard Boiled or The Killer. Nicolas Cage is absolutely tremendous and Travolta is just as good and it's insane how both men can just switch rapidly. The films effects are so ahead of their time and so realistic they look uncomfortable, Face/Off has managed to make me so engaged like no other film the writing is absolutely superb and certain scenes had be going through it with the characters. Absolutely amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/25 Full Review Shaun R I do miss the constant turn around of 90s high octane actions. This was half decent, but once again, is spoilt by an unnecessary over the top ending fight scene. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Deepest Bluest Suede Darius Dick Stinger Apini Emanuel Grouch Nukem III AKA The Rumble AKA Jennyanyany McPoopface Bridgerton AKA The Count of Monte Fisto More like Ass/Off. Cage and Travolta both brilliant. Sad that there aren't any other movies with both of them, they make such a great pairing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/12/25 Full Review SkyRo P The 1997 action thriller "Face/Off," featuring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, is the next film I chose to review. This movie delivers nonstop action from start to finish, thanks to the director's skillful approach that immerses us in a captivating and intense storyline. It showcases both actors at their best as they tackle this remarkable challenge and deliver some truly memorable performances. John Travolta consistently astonishes me with his versatility, seamlessly transitioning from iconic roles like Danny Zuko to a flamboyant drag queen in "Hairspray" and now to an action hero. He shines in this film, impressing with his dialogue delivery and thrilling action scenes. On the other hand, Nicolas Cage often leaves me feeling underwhelmed, as his performances tend to feel similar. However, I must commend him for his work in this film; he elevates the story with a strong performance that complements Travolta’s character, guiding us through the entire narrative. This film is definitely worth a watch! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/20/25 Full Review Ricardo B Esse filme tinha tudo para que eu o adorasse: John Travolta e Nicolas Cage dando atuações insanas, uma trama absurda, sequências de ação explosivas e eletrizantes... enfim, tudo que eu espero de um filme de ação da década de 1990. E embora eu tenha curtido uma considerável parte do filme, especialmente o seu terceiro ato, "A Outra Face" não é tudo que eu esperava, principalmente por conta de sua duração, que é desnecessariamente longa e impacta bastante no ritmo da trama. Talvez eu deva experimentar novamente, em outro momento, melhor preparado. Ou talvez eu apenas não me agrade muito de John Woo — mesmo diretor de "Missão: Impossível 2" (2000) — e seus pombos. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/15/25 Full Review alan g Way over the top acting from 2 of hokeywoods most over the top actors. Weird pseudo SciFi so called action thriller. John Poo over tge top as usual. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/07/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Face/Off

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Face/Off

Face/Off: Official Clip - I Am the King Face/Off: Official Clip - I Am the King 2:12 Face/Off: Official Clip - Prison Escape Face/Off: Official Clip - Prison Escape 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - It's Like Looking in a Mirror Face/Off: Official Clip - It's Like Looking in a Mirror 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - Let's Just Kill Each Other Face/Off: Official Clip - Let's Just Kill Each Other 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - We Both Know Our Guns Face/Off: Official Clip - We Both Know Our Guns 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - Speedboat Chase Face/Off: Official Clip - Speedboat Chase 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - Crashing the Plane Face/Off: Official Clip - Crashing the Plane 2:12 Face/Off: Official Clip - What a Predicament Face/Off: Official Clip - What a Predicament 2:13 Face/Off: Official Clip - This is Turning into a Real Marriage Face/Off: Official Clip - This is Turning into a Real Marriage 2:13 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Obsessed with bringing terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) to justice, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) tracks down Troy, who has boarded a plane in Los Angeles. After the plane crashes and Troy is severely injured, possibly dead, Archer undergoes surgery to remove his face and replace it with Troy's. As Archer tries to use his disguise to elicit information about a bomb from Troy's brother, Troy awakes from a coma and forces the doctor who performed the surgery to give him Archer's face.
Director
John Woo
Producer
Terence Chang, David Permut, Barrie M. Osborne
Screenwriter
Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 27, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$112.3M
Runtime
2h 18m
Sound Mix
Surround
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