Face/Off is a 1997
actionAction film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
thriller film directed by
John WooJohn Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
, starring
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and
Nicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. The two both play an
FBIThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent and a
terroristTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another.
The film exemplifies
gun fuGun fu, a portmanteau of gun and kung fu, is the style of sophisticated close-quarters gunplay seen in Hong Kong action cinema and in Western films influenced by it. It often resembles a martial arts battle played out with firearms instead of traditional weapons...
and
heroic bloodshedHeroic Bloodshed is a genre of Hong Kong action cinema revolving around stylized action sequences and dramatic themes such as brotherhood, duty, honour, redemption and violence. The term heroic bloodshed was coined by editor Rick Baker in the magazine Eastern Heroes in the late 1980s, specifically...
action sequences, and has Travolta and Cage each playing two personalities. It was the first Hollywood film in which Woo was given complete creative control and was acclaimed by both audiences and critics. Eventually grossing $245 million worldwide,
Face/Off was a financial success.
Plot
Freelance terrorist Castor Troy (
Nicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
) is relentlessly pursued by FBI
Special AgentSpecial agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
in Charge Sean Archer (
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
). Years earlier, Troy, in an attempt to kill Archer, accidentally killed Archer's young son, Michael; the two have been obsessed with each other ever since. The FBI receives information that Castor's brother, Pollux (
Alessandro NivolaAlessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
), has chartered a plane at LAX airport. Archer knows that Pollux will not fly without Castor, so he leads a joint FBI/
LAPDThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
team to chase the plane down, which crashes into a hangar. In the ensuing chaos, Pollux is captured by the FBI and Castor is knocked into a coma after bragging to Archer about a bomb that will destroy
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Archer's work colleagues congratulate him on catching Castor, but Archer rebuffs the praise he is given and says it should go to those who died attempting to arrest Castor.
Although he learns the date of the bombing, Archer is unable to find any information about the location of the bomb itself. Knowing that the only way to obtain the location is from Pollux; and the only person Pollux will reveal the location to is his brother Castor, Archer's colleagues present him with a top-secret mission: he will undergo an
experimental surgical procedureA face transplant is a still-experimental procedure to replace all or part of a person's face. The world's first full face transplant was completed in Spain in 2010.-Beneficiaries of face transplant:...
to temporarily graft Castor's face onto his skull, infiltrate the prison where Pollux is being held, and get the location of the bomb. Arrangements are made for Archer (as Castor) to be incarcerated with Pollux in prison. Once there, he successfully learns the bomb's location. Meanwhile, Castor unexpectedly awakens from his coma and, realizing what has happened, calls his men to kidnap the doctor who performed the surgery. Castor then forces the doctor to give him Archer's face. Castor (as Archer) visits Archer in prison, informing him that he killed everyone who knew about Archer’s mission and destroyed all the evidence. He leaves, telling Archer his plans to take advantage of his job and family. Castor then has the FBI negotiate a deal with Pollux for his release, in return for revealing the bomb's location. Castor proceeds to disarm the bomb and revels in the praise from Archer’s colleagues and the media.
Following Castor's disarmament of the bomb, Archer begins an
escape attemptPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
. A violent battle ensues, ending with Archer successfully evading the prison guards. Later, Archer visits Castor’s entourage and successfully fools them into thinking that he is the real Castor. Archer then asks them to help kill “Archer”. Elsewhere, Castor initiates aggressive sex play with Archer's wife Eve (
Joan AllenJoan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
) and flirts with Archer's teenage daughter Jamie (
Dominique SwainDominique Ariane Swain is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the title character in the 1997 film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, and as Jamie Archer in the film Face/Off.- Early life :...
). Meanwhile, Archer finds himself having to take drugs to impress Castor’s gang. Also present is Sasha Hassler (
Gina GershonGina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
), Castor's ex-girlfriend, and their son Adam. Earlier, Archer threatened to put her son into
foster careFoster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
, but he now realizes that she is a devoted mother who is trying to raise Adam away from the poisonous influence of Castor. Archer (as Castor) promises her that Archer will not bother her any more. Archer starts to bond with Adam, reminding him of his deceased son. Pollux, watching Castor’s old safehouse, informs Castor of Archer's arrival. Castor sends an FBI team in. A gunfight ensues, killing most of Castor’s crew, while Sasha and Adam escape with Archer’s help. As he makes his own escape, Archer catches Pollux and drops him through the apartment skylight, killing him. Later, the FBI's Assistant Director in Charge, Victor Lazarro, berates Castor for the unnecessary carnage at the safehouse. Castor confesses his true identity and kills him, blaming his death on a heart attack. As a result, Castor is promoted to FBI Assistant Director. Meanwhile, Archer returns to his suburban home and tries to convince Eve that he is really Archer; she is only convinced after he tells her the story of their first kiss.
Sometime later, Sasha and Archer track Castor to Lazarro's funeral. Archer arrives during
Mass"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and prays in a side chapel until it finishes and the mourners leave. He then discovers that Castor is holding Eve hostage. A gunfight ensues, in which Castor's crew are killed. Sasha saves Eve and takes a bullet for Archer, before she dies she makes him promise that he will not let Adam grow up to be criminal as well. Castor then takes a late-arriving Jamie hostage, but she is able to escape, ironically using a knife trick he taught her. Castor and Archer engage in several gun fights and hand-to-hand battles. Eventually, Castor steals a speed boat and is pursued closely by Archer. After a lengthy chase, both Archer and Castor are thrown ashore by an explosion resulting from their boats colliding. The two engage in a final hand-to-hand confrontation, which results in Archer eventually killing Castor with a spear gun. Later, Eve is able to explain the entire situation to the FBI, successfully convincing them of Archer's true identity. Archer is then taken to the hospital and his face is restored.
The film ends as Archer arrives home with Adam, bringing him into his family in order to fulfill his promise to Sasha of not allowing Adam to grow up to be a criminal.
Cast
- John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
as Sean Archer/Castor Troy
- Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as Castor Troy/Sean Archer
- Joan Allen
Joan Allen is an American actress. She worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.She has received three Academy Award nominations;...
as Dr. Eve Archer
- Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
as Pollux Troy
- Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
as Sasha Hassler
- Dominique Swain
Dominique Ariane Swain is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the title character in the 1997 film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, and as Jamie Archer in the film Face/Off.- Early life :...
as Jamie Archer
- Nick Cassavetes as Dietrich Hassler
- Harve Presnell
Harve Presnell was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid 1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States...
as Victor Lazarro
- Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
as Dr. Malcolm Walsh
- C. C. H. Pounder as Dr. Hollis Miller
- John Carroll Lynch
John Carroll Lynch is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson in Fargo....
as Walton
- Robert Wisdom
Robert Wisdom is an American actor. He is a graduate of Columbia University.-Biography:Wisdom was born in Washington, D.C. to Jamaican parents. He appeared in four of the five seasons of HBO program The Wire as Howard "Bunny" Colvin...
as Tito
- Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
as Burke Hicks
- James Denton
James "Jamie" Thomas Denton, Jr. is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Mike Delfino in the television series Desperate Housewives.-Early life:...
as Buzz
- Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
as Wanda
- Matt Ross
Matthew Brandon "Matt" Ross is an American actor best known for his role as Alby Grant in the HBO series, Big Love.-Filmography:*Urusei Yatsura 2 *Desperation Rising *PCU...
as Loomis
- Chris Bauer
Mark Christopher "Chris" Bauer is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Bauer was born in Los Angeles, California and attended high school at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. He played on Miramonte Championship football team his senior year, 1984...
as Dubov
- Danny Masterson
Daniel Peter "Danny" Masterson is an American actor and DJ best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show.-Early life:...
as Karl
- Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan is a Scottish film and television actor.Flanagan was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the 3rd of five children. Flanagan's first television roles were in Screen One, 1992 and Taggart in 1993. Flanagan worked in Robert Carlyle's Raindog Theatre for three years before being cast in Braveheart...
as Leo
- Steve Hytner
Stephen Arthur "Steve" Hytner is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny Bania in Seinfeld...
as Interrogating agent
- Romy Windsor as Kimberly (as Romy Walthall)
- Paul Hipp
-Early years:Paul Hipp was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hipp left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, starting his career playing for tips on the streets of Greenwich Village while studying acting with Mira Rostova and at HB Studio with...
as Fitch
- Kirk Baltz
Kirk Baltz is an American actor who has starred in film and on television.-Career:Baltz is best known for his role as Marvin Nash, an LAPD police officer in the famous torture scene of the 1992 Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs. Kirk also starred in another film written by Tarantino, 1994's...
as Aldo
- Max Bemis
Max Bemis is the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Say Anything. He is also co singer along side Chris Conley of the supergroup Two Tongues, which features members from Say Anything and Saves the Day.-The Early Years:...
of Say Anything (band)Say Anything is an American indie-punk band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Max Bemis. The band was formed in 2000 with Bemis and four of his friends. Within two years, they self-released two EPs, Junior Varsity and In Your Dreams, and the full-length Baseball: An Album by Sayanything.In...
as Alter Boy
Production
Face/Off was a
spec scriptA spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
which writers
Mike WerbMike Werb is an American screenwriter, whose writing credits include Face/Off, The Mask and the story for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.A Los Angeles native, Werb attended Stanford. He is a UCLA Film School graduate....
and
Michael CollearyMichael Colleary is an American screenwriter, film producer and television writer. His writing credits include Face/Off, Firehouse Dog, The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the story for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider....
tried to sell to a studio from as early as 1990. It took numerous studios, producers and rewrites before John Woo became attached several years later.
Originally the film was to be set in the far future and was to star
Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and
Sylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
in the lead roles. At one point John Woo considered
Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
whom he had worked with in
Hard TargetHard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun merchant seaman who saves a young woman, Natasha Binder , from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
to play Sean Archer while
Steven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
would play Castor Troy along with them learning each others fighting abilities. Other pairings that was considered was that of
Harrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
and
Michael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
as well as
Alec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
and
Bruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, and
Al PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
and
Robert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
. When the film was eventually made, Douglas was an executive producer. Werb and Colleary have cited
White HeatWhite Heat may refer to:In film:* White Heat , a British film directed by Thomas Bentley* White Heat , an American film* White Heat, a 1949 film starring James CagneyIn music:...
(1949) and
SecondsSeconds is a 1966 American film starring Rock Hudson. Characterized sometimes as a science fiction thriller, but with elements of horror, neo-noir, psychedelia, and drama, it was directed by John Frankenheimer with a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino. The script was based on a novel by David Ely...
(1966) as influences on the plot.
John WooJohn Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
was offered a chance to direct but declined unless the studio agreed to give him more creative control than he had received on his previous American films. Travolta had previously starred in Woo's
Broken ArrowBroken Arrow is a 1996 American action film directed by John Woo, written by Graham Yost, and starring John Travolta and Christian Slater. The original music score was composed by Hans Zimmer, and features guitarist Duane Eddy. It deals with the theft of an American nuclear weapon.The film received...
(Cage was later to star in another Woo film,
WindtalkersWindtalkers is a 2002 action war film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers in Saipan during World War II.-Plot:World War II Sgt...
). Woo set the movie in the present so he could focus on the psychological elements of the story, such as how the feud between the two men affects those close to them — such as Sasha and Adam and Archer's family.
The names Castor and Pollux come from a
pair of brothersIn Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
in
Greek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
that make up the
GeminiGemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It was one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology...
constellation. The story itself, most notably the hatred between Archer and Troy, is very similar to that of
HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he was a prince of the royal house and the...
and
AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
, who fought against each other in the
Trojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. Additional influences may have come from the fact that the Greek and Roman god of archery, Apollo, was closely related with the city of Troy. The
ArcherArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
is also a constellation and is significant because The Archer is the Sagittarius constellation. Therefore, we have this clash between the Gemini Twins and Sagittarius...it's polar opposite. Ironically, Castor and Pollux were also chosen as names for police dogs in another 1997 film, the sci-fi/horror
The RelicThe Relic is a 1997 science fiction/horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore and Linda Hunt. The original music score was composed by John Debney...
starring
Tom SizemoreThomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, Heat and Black Hawk Down....
.
Pollux is held at Erehwon, a prison so secret that even the inmates do not know its location. "Erehwon" is "nowhere" in reverse, an idea that also occurs in an
allegorical novelErewhon: or, Over the Range is a novel by Samuel Butler, published anonymously in 1872. The title is also the name of a country, supposedly discovered by the protagonist. In the novel, it is not revealed in which part of the world Erewhon is, but it is clear that it is a fictional country...
by
Samuel ButlerSamuel Butler was an iconoclastic Victorian author who published a variety of works. Two of his most famous pieces are the Utopian satire Erewhon and a semi-autobiographical novel published posthumously, The Way of All Flesh...
.
The battle in the church, which includes
dovePigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s flying around and religious artifacts being destroyed, is similar to the final confrontation in Woo's classic 1989 Hong Kong film
The Killer.
Costing $80 million to make,
Face/Off made heavy use of action set pieces including several violent shootouts and a boat chase. It was filmed in the Los Angeles area.
Release
Face/Off was released in North America on June 27, 1997 and earned $23 million on its opening weekend. It went on to become the 11th highest domestic and 14th worldwide grossing film of 1997, earning a domestic total of $112,276,146 and $133,400,000 overseas for a total of worldwide gross of $245,676,146. It was a successful box office hit.
The Region 1 DVD of
Face/Off was one of the first films to be released on the format on October 7, 1998. A 10th Anniversary Collectors Edition was released on DVD September 11, 2007 and
HD DVDHD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
October 30, 2007 in the United States. The new DVD is a 2-disc set including 7 deleted scenes, an alternate ending and several featurettes.
The film was released on
Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2007 by
Buena VistaBuena Vista is a brand name frequently used for divisions of The Walt Disney Company, whose primary studios and offices are located on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California. It was originally created by Walt Disney in 1953 after the release of Peter Pan to distribute his film and television...
, and was released in the United States on 20 May 2008 by
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
Reception
Garnering largely positive reviews and high box office earnings, the film was a critical and financial success. The role reversal between Travolta and Cage was a subject of praise, as were the stylized, violent action sequences. Critic
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the
Chicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
remarked that "Here, using big movie stars and asking them to play each other, Woo and his writers find a terrific counterpoint to the action scenes: All through the movie, you find yourself reinterpreting every scene as you realize the 'other' character is 'really' playing it."
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s
Peter TraversPeter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
said of the film, "You may not buy the premise or the windup, but with Travolta and Cage taking comic and psychic measures of their characters and their own careers, there is no resisting
Face/Off. This you gotta see."
Richard CorlissRichard Nelson Corliss is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on movies, with the occasional article on music or sports. Corliss is the former editor-in-chief of Film Comment...
of
Time MagazineTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
said that the film "isn't just a thrill ride, it's a rocket into the thrilling past, when directors could scare you with how much emotion they packed into a movie."
Some critics felt the film's violence was overkill, and that the action sequences dragged out too long. Barbara Shulgasser of the
San Francisco Examiner called the movie "idiotic" and argued that "a good director would choose the best of the six ways and put it in his movie. Woo puts all six in. If you keep your eyes closed during a Woo movie and open them every six minutes, you'll see everything you need to know to have a perfectly lovely evening at the cinema."
Face/Off holds a 94% "Fresh" rating on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with 54 positive reviews out of a total 56 and a score of 82 on
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
with 25 reviews counted. The film was nominated for the
Academy Award for Sound EditingThe Academy Award of Merit for Best Sound Editing is an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound editing or sound design...
at the
70th Academy AwardsThe 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance....
, but lost to
TitanicTitanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
.
Face/Off also won the
Saturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
s for Best Directing and Writing, and the
MTV Movie AwardsThe MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
for Best Action Scene (the speedboat chase) and Best Duo for Travolta and Cage.
Soundtrack
The
Face/Off soundtrack was released by
Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
on July 1, 1997, the week following the film's release.
- "Face On" – (4:57)
- "80 Proof Rock" – (4:29)
- "Furniture" – (7:12)
- "The Golden Section Derma Lift" – (3:15)
- "This Ridiculous Chin" (– 6:51)
- "No More Drugs For That Man" – (7:27)
- "Hans' Loft" – (3:37)
- "Ready For The Big Ride‚ Bubba" – (3:54)
- Orchestra Conducted By: Lucas Richman
- Orchestrated By: Bruce Fowler, Steven Fowler, Walt Fowler, Yvonne S. Moriarty, Ladd McIntosh and Lucas Richman
Additional music
Several pieces of music and songs were used in the film but not included in the soundtrack. These include:
- "Since By Man Came Death" and "Hallelujah" from oratorio 'Messiah
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
' - HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
- Pamina's Aria "Ach, ich fühl's" from "Die Zauberflöte" - Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
- "Prelude in D-flat, Op. 28, No. 15 ('Raindrop')" - Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
- "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is a song written and recorded by James Brown. It was released as a two-part single in 1965, and is considered seminal in the musical genre of funk.-The hit single:...
" - James BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
- "Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
" (Harold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
& Yip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
) - Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
- "Christiansands" - Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
- "Don't Lose Your Head
"Don't Lose Your Head" is the third single from the album Elegantly Wasted by INXS. Released in Europe and Japan at the end of 1997. No official release for this in USA...
" - INXSINXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
- "Miserere Mei, Deus (VV.1-4 & 17-20)" - Gregorio Allegri
Gregorio Allegri was an Italian composer of the Roman School and brother of Domenico Allegri; he was also a priest and a singer. He lived mainly in Rome, where he would later die.-Life:...
Legacy
In 2010,
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
based an episode on the same story entitled, "
The Bob Next Door"The Bob Next Door" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season and the 463rd episode overall on Fox Broadcasting Company...
".
In 2001,
MC SolaarMC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....
references the character "Castor Troy" in the song titled "Playmate" on the album
Cinquieme As. However, as Castor and Pollux Troy were brothers involved in the Trojan war, it is unclear whether popular references to these names are allusions to
Face/Off or to the original figures for whom the
Face/Off characters are named. The
Adult SwimAdult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
comedy series
DelocatedDelocated is an American live-action television series which premiered February 12, 2009 on Adult Swim. The original pilot for the show was aired on April 1, 2008....
features an entire episode in season 2, "Mole", as an extended reference to
Face/Off. Sergei, the Russian mafia assassin sent to kill the main character "Jon" is captured by the FBI. In a burst of anger "Jon" threatens Sergei that he will tear off his face and wear it like a mask to kill all of Sergei's friends, "just like in that movie,
Face/Off". Sergei has actually never seen the film, so "Jon" demands that the FBI agents force Sergei to watch a DVD of the film (preferably the Criterion Collection version). The FBI agents then take "Jon" aside and inform him that "the incredibly far-fetched and medically impossible face-switching technology from
Face/Off...is real", and "Jon" accepts their offer to switch faces with Sergei to infiltrate the Russian mafia.