Face/Off (1997)

Catching Up On Cinema

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This February is “Frame of Reference” month at Catching Up On Cinema!

All month long, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing films that have frequently been referenced in recent episodes of the podcast.

This week, Trevor and Kyle review John Woo's, Face/Off (1997)!

Hong Kong legend, John Woo's, third American feature film, and the first that he was granted extensive creative control over, Face/Off (1997) may very well be the best of director Woo's Hollywood productions.

Headlined by John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, talented actors who clearly relished the opportunity to attempt to ape one another and give dual performances, Face/Off is equal parts rousing action thriller, and over-the-top psycho drama.

Grand and bombastic in both emotional content and action spectacle, Face/Off is never lacking in terms of energy and momentum, resulting in a film that, while debatable if it's deserving to be counted among director Woo's finest films, may be one of his most balanced and approachable.

Quotable, meme-able, and undeniably memorable, Face/Off is a rare example of a script landing in the lap of exactly the right director, who in turn cast exactly the right duo of chronic over-actors to lean into the material and make an otherwise ridiculous premise truly sing.
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