Face/Off

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See Face/Off (roller coaster) for the ride named after this movie.

Face/Off
File:Face-Off (Movie Poster).jpg
Face/Off movie poster
Directed byJohn Woo
Written byMike Werb
Michael Colleary
Produced byDavid Permut
Barrie M. Osborne
Terence Chang
StarringJohn Travolta
Nicolas Cage
CinematographyOliver Wood
Edited bySteven Kemper
Christian Wagner
Music byJohn Powell
Michael A. Reagan (source music)
Distributed by-USA-
Paramount Pictures
-non-USA-
Buena Vista Distribution
Touchstone Pictures
Release dates
June 27, 1997
Running time
2 hrs. 18 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Face/Off is a 1997 film directed by John Woo starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. It was the 10th top-grossing film in 1997.

Face/Off is considered one of Woo's most successful Hollywood works, not only because of its intense Gun fu and Heroic bloodshed action sequences, but for its unique plot which required Travolta and Cage to each play two personalities.

A 10th Anniversary Collectors Edition of the film will be released onto DVD, HD-DVD, & Blu-Ray in 2007.

Tag line: In order to trap him, he must become him

Plot

The plot of Face/Off follows the pursuit of an international terrorist-for-hire, Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage), by an FBI agent, Sean Archer (John Travolta). Archer is motivated mostly by revenge; several years ago, while attempting to assassinate Archer, Troy had killed Archer's young son, Michael. During a furious battle at an airport, Castor is injured and left comatose and his younger brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola) is captured and incarcerated.

Archer discovers Castor's and Pollux' real intentions: they plan to release a deadly biological agent somewhere in Los Angeles. With Castor in a coma, Archer's only hope to stop them is to enter prison disguised as Castor and trick Pollux into revealing the location of the bomb. Archer subjects himself to an experimental plastic surgery technique that removes his own face and replaces it with Troy's. After the procedure is complete and Archer takes Troy's place in a super-maximum security prison Castor comes out of his coma and has the procedure performed on himself, stealing Archer's face. Castor and his henchmen then capture and burn all of the people who knew of the operation, including Sean's best friend, fellow FBI agent and partner, Tito Biondi (Robert Wisdom), Dr.Hollis Miller (CCH Pounder), along with the surgeon whom performed the operation. Castor visits Archer in prison and boasts about switching faces, having his brother, Pollux released. Archer, with the help of fellow prisoners dispatch the guards, allowing Sean to escape. He then visits an old friend of Castor's named Dietrich Hassler (Nick Cassavetes). Sean asks Dietrich to help him in killing "Sean Archer" a.k.a. Castor Troy. Sean also interacts with Troy's ex-girlfriend, Sasha (Gina Gershon). Troy learns of Archer's arrival at Hassler's apartment, at which he sends an FBI task force. Hassler's men are killed, along with Dietrich himself, whom was killed by Troy due to protecting Archer, Sasha, and Troy's son, Adam. The next day, Victor Lazaro (Harve Presnell) the FBI director, furiously berates Troy, still impersonating Archer, of the bloodbath. Castor confesses to Lazaro about his true identity, killing him. He then tells everyone Lazaro died of a heart-attack. Sean escapes to his surburban home and tells his wife (Joan Allen) of the operation and Castor's devious intentions. Archer and Sasha track Castor to Lazaro's funeral, where Troy is holding Archer's wife and daughter Jamie (Dominique Swain) hostage. A gunfight ensues, and Castor's men are killed by Sasha, protecting Archer, along with Sasha. A furious Archer pursues Castor in a boat chase. Castor attempts to beat Archer to a pulp on shore. Archer manages to hold Troy at bay with a speargun, eventually killing him. Archer then goes home with his family, getting his own face back and adopting Sasha and Troy's son, Adam.

Cast

Trivia

  • [1]Castor Troy was featured in Jay-Z's song "Threat" ("...Like, castor oil and I Castor Troy you, change your face or the bullets change all that for you...")
  • The film was parodied on Celebrity Deathmatch (Nicholas Cage vs. John Travolta) and was referred as the "Ass-Off" Match. Travolta won.
  • Thomas Jane costars in this picture as prison inmate Burke Hicks. He would later feature more directly with John Travolta in 2004's The Punisher. Burke and Hicks are also two characters from the film "Aliens"
  • The name of the oceanic prison in this film is spelled "Erewhon", which is an anagram of "nowhere".
  • Castor and Pollux are also the names of a mythological pair of brothers, who were also the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, wife of the Greek leader Agamemnon.
  • Castor and Pollux are also the names of the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini
  • This film was originally conceived as a sci-fi film set in the far future and written specifically for Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.[citation needed]
  • Another pairing that was considered was that of Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas.[2] Douglas was an executive producer for the film that was eventually made.
  • Scenes from the film are featured in the video, "Don't Lose Your Head" by INXS.

Additional music

Performed by Boston Baroque Conducted by Martin Pearlman (Telarc)

Performed by Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, soprano (Naxos)

  • "Prelude in D-Flat, Op. 28, No. 15 ('Raindrop')" (by Chopin)

Performed by Irina Zaritzkaya (Naxos)

Performed by Olivia Newton-John From the album "Warm And Tender" (MCA Records)

Performed by Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird From the album "Pre-Millennium Tension" ([1])

Reference

  1. ^ http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jayz/threat.html
  2. ^ Empire - Special Collectors' Edition - The Greatest Action Movies Ever (published in 2001)
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