Nicolas Cage and John Travolta are two actors that suffer from actor's rollercoaster. That's where you have an actor that is astonishingly good in some roles and abysmally bad in others. As much I hate to paraphrase famous Hollywood quotes, these guys are like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get. The fact that both of them were cast in 1997's "Face/Off" made me curious (at the time) of just what I was in store for. Add to the mix John Woo as director and I at least knew there would be a shot of flying doves. 1997 was still one of those years that I made it out to movies theatres with some regularity, so I did have the opportunity to catch "Face/Off" on the big screen. I remember walking out of the theatre exhausted from Woo's gloriously choreographed action sequences… and incredibly impressed by both actor's performances. The plot of the movie aside, and I'll get to that in a second, "Face/Off" gave Cage and Travolta the opportunity to really cut loose and have fun with their roles.

The premise to "Face/Off" is about as 'out there' as you can get. I'm not talking 'check your brain at the door' as much as much as packing it up and shipping it to Abu Dhabi. Cage stars as Castor Troy (as opposed to Castor Oil), a terrorist with no qualms about killing anyone for the right price. Enter Travolta as Sean Archer, the FBI agent dedicated to bringing Troy down. Archer's dedication is not only job related… Troy fired the gun that killed his young son. Okay, so far we're pretty much in believable-ville.

Here's where it gets crazy. Archer and his agents succeed in capturing Troy, but not before he can plant a dirty bomb somewhere in L.A. Questioning Troy is out of the question because he is now lying in a coma. So what's the FBI opt to do? Why it's obvious… Archer goes under surgery to have his face removed and replaced with Troy's. Add a microchip in his throat so that he sounds like the villain and he 'becomes' Troy. By 'becoming' Troy, Archer should be able infiltrate the people who know where the bomb is planted. However, there is snag. Troy wakes up.

Upon noticing that his face is kind of missing… Troy calls in some of his goons, his face is replaced by Archer's (which WAS being held in stasis until after the mission), and he kills everyone who knows about the operation. Now Archer is on his own with everyone thinking he's Troy. Troy takes full advantage of the switch and 'becomes' Archer, making sure that the fake Troy is captured while he enjoys the show. Everyone thinks he is really Archer, including Archer's Family. Are you confused yet? I thought so, but I have to blame it on my attempt at describing the plot. Watching the film is far less confusing.

Now, as I said, the premise is way, way out there and totally unbelievable. However, thanks to Woo's spectacular cinematography, the film is never less that eye-popping to watch. Everything is so surreal, and the gun battles are more over the top than you could ever imagine. Then there are the performances by Cage and Travolta I mentioned earlier. The characters the actors portray are nearly caricatures, each with well defined movements, facial expressions, and attitudes. When Cage plays Troy, he's a ball of wild-eyed energy where Travolta is a little bit more reserved but still detailed. Where the fun comes in is watching Cage playing Archer playing Troy, and watching Travolta playing Troy playing Archer. Hmmmm… I wonder if I'm confusing you even more. Ah well, trust me… its easier to follow than my babbling.

"Face/Off" has been available on DVD for some time, but now Paramount has decided to hit us with a 2-disc special edition. I do not have the earlier release so I don’t know if this transfer is better, but I imagine that it has to be. The audio is especially powerful through a good sound system. But then there are the extra features. The first disc has two commentaries, the first by director Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. The 2nd track is just Werb and Colleary, but the weird thing is that it sounds like the same track as the first commentary, only without Woo. Anyhow, strange as that is… stick with the first commentary. There are also some deleted scenes, most of which were best deleted.

Once you are ready to pop in the 2nd disc you'll find a making of documentary that comes in at about an hour. It includes interviews with most of the cast and crew, some of which was obviously shot back in 1998 mixed in with the newer footage. If you’re not familiar with Woo's work, be sure to check out the profile on this disc.

"Face/Off" is not a film to be taken seriously. It is meant to be a joyride of choreographed carnage and over the top performances. If you don’t already have the earlier release in your collection, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of this one.

Directed by: John Woo
Starring: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Gina Gershon
Extras: Feature-length Commentary with John Woo, Mike Werb, and Michael Colleary, Feature-length Commentary with Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, "The Light and the Dark: The Making of Face/Off", "John Woo: A Life in Pictures", Deleted Scenes, Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound, DTS 6.1 Surround
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 9/11/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Face/Off a B+.