Face/Off

FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) has been obsessively pursuing smartass terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) ever since Troy missed mistakenly killed Archer's young son. That's why Archer is willing to take the rather radical step of trading faces (as in MAJOR cosmetic surgery) when the plot requires that he do so in order to discover the whereabouts of a ticking bomb. I'm not going to say any more about the clever storyline of former Hong Kong director John Woo's latest (The Killer, Broken Arrow), which also happens to be his best American film to date. Trust me, although this tale of two faces occasionally stretches further than Jim Carrey's mug, it basically delivers the goods: a truly nasty villain and a nice hero (who do the switcheroo--and it's a beaut), enough action to satisfy mayhem fans, and fine performances from Travolta, Cage, and Joan Allen. One of the best thrillers of the year. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Sept. 4, 2007—Paramount, 2 discs, 140 min., R, $19.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1997's Face/Off (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition) sports a nice transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround EX sound. DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with director John Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary; the other with just Werb and Colleary), the 64-minute “making-of” documentary “The Light and the Dark,” a “John Woo: A Life in Pictures” featurette (26 min.), seven deleted scenes (including an alternate ending) with optional commentary (8 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a fine thriller.][Blu-ray Review—June 10, 2008—Paramount, 140 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1997's Face/Off sports a great transfer with 6.1 DTS and 5.1 Dolby Digital EX soundtracks. The extras on the disc are identical to the previous DVD release, including two audio commentaries (one with director John Woo and co-writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary; the other with just Werb and Colleary), the 64-minute “making-of” documentary “The Light and the Dark,” a 26-minute “John Woo: A Life in Pictures” featurette, seven deleted scenes (including an alternate ending) with optional commentary (8 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine visual upgrade on Blu-ray for a very good thriller.]