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IMDbPro

Face/Off

  • 19971997
  • RR
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
382K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
776
134
Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
Trailer
Play trailer0:31
4 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeSci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the criminal mastermind who murdered his only son, but the criminal wakes up prematurely ... Read allTo foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the criminal mastermind who murdered his only son, but the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.To foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the criminal mastermind who murdered his only son, but the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
382K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
776
134
    • John Woo
    • Mike Werb
    • Michael Colleary
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Nicolas Cage
    • Joan Allen
    • John Woo
    • Mike Werb
    • Michael Colleary
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Nicolas Cage
    • Joan Allen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 673User reviews
    • 142Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos4

    Face/Off
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch Face/Off
    Nicolas Cage on the Roles That Changed His Life
    Clip 2:17
    Watch Nicolas Cage on the Roles That Changed His Life
    Face/Off: Blu-Ray
    Clip 0:45
    Watch Face/Off: Blu-Ray
    'Disobedience' Star Alessandro Nivola on Forbidden Love
    Video 3:51
    Watch 'Disobedience' Star Alessandro Nivola on Forbidden Love

    Photos199

    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and Joan Allen in Face/Off (1997)
    John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, and John Woo in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and Joan Allen in Face/Off (1997)
    Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
    Patricia Arquette and Nicolas Cage at an event for Face/Off (1997)
    Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres at an event for Face/Off (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Travolta
    John Travolta
    • Sean Archer
    Nicolas Cage
    Nicolas Cage
    • Castor Troy
    Joan Allen
    Joan Allen
    • Eve Archer
    Alessandro Nivola
    Alessandro Nivola
    • Pollux Troy
    Gina Gershon
    Gina Gershon
    • Sasha Hassler
    Dominique Swain
    Dominique Swain
    • Jamie Archer
    Nick Cassavetes
    Nick Cassavetes
    • Dietrich Hassler
    Harve Presnell
    Harve Presnell
    • Victor Lazarro
    Colm Feore
    Colm Feore
    • Dr. Malcolm Walsh
    John Carroll Lynch
    John Carroll Lynch
    • Prison Guard Walton
    CCH Pounder
    CCH Pounder
    • Hollis Miller
    Robert Wisdom
    Robert Wisdom
    • Tito Biondi
    Margaret Cho
    Margaret Cho
    • Wanda
    James Denton
    James Denton
    • Buzz
    • (as Jamie Denton)
    Matt Ross
    Matt Ross
    • Loomis
    Chris Bauer
    Chris Bauer
    • Dubov
    Myles Jeffrey
    Myles Jeffrey
    • Michael Archer
    David McCurley
    • Adam Hassler
      • John Woo
      • Mike Werb
      • Michael Colleary
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Nicolas Cage on the Roles That Changed His Life

    Nicolas Cage on the Roles That Changed His Life

    Nicolas Cage breaks down his transcendent performances in Valley Girl, Vampire's Kiss, and Face/Off to reveal how they changed both his career and his life.
    Watch Nic
    Image caption not available
    2:17

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    Face Off 2

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Nicolas Cage and John Travolta spent two weeks together before filming to learn how to play each other. They decided on specific gestures and vocal cadences for each character that could be mimicked.
    • Goofs
      (at around 37 mins) After the face surgery, Archer (as Troy) says his voice still sounds the same. Dr. Walsh tells Archer that he's implanted a micro-chip on his larynx, so he'll have to be careful because pressure, a sharp blow, even a violent sneeze would dislodge it. If this was the case, the micro-chip would have easily been dislodged in first prison brawl between Dubov and him (at around 42 mins).
    • Quotes

      Castor Troy: [during the shootout at the apartment] I don't know what I hate wearing worse: your face or your body. I mean I enjoy *boning* your wife, but let's face it, we both like it better the other way, yes? So why don't we trade back.

      Sean Archer: You can't give back what you've taken from me.

      Castor Troy: OK, then... plan B, why don't we just kill each other?

    • Alternate versions
      In the Domestic release, the Paramount opening logo is played, and at the end of the film, The still closing version of the Paramount logo is shown; while on the International prints, the Buena Vista International logo is played for 20 seconds before the company credits is shown.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Batman & Robin/Hercules/My Best Friend's Wedding/For Roseanna/Ponette (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      The Hallelujah Chorus - Since By Man Came Death
      From oratorio "Messiah"

      By George Frideric Handel (as Georg Friedrich Händel)

      Performed by Boston Baroque Orchestra & Chorus

      Conducted by Martin Pearlman (uncredited)

      Courtesy of Telarc International Corporation

    User reviews673

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Woo's US breakthrough: A triumph!
    FACE/OFF

    Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

    Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS

    This magnificent thriller represents director John Woo's triumphant return to the kind of hyperkinetic, emotionally charged film-making which made him such a hot property in the first place. Following the artistic bankruptcy of his first two Hollywood projects, this one is a marriage of high-octane movie-making and mind-twisting narrative complexities. It's also one of the few American action movies which manages to strike a balance between crowd-pleasing set-pieces and domestic interludes, and renders them equally important. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage are perfectly matched as hero/villain (and vice versa!), whilst heavyweight theatre actress Joan Allen provides the narrative with much of its dramatic backbone in the role of Travolta's wife (the scene in which she is first confronted with her husband in Cage's body is almost identical to a similar scene in Terence Fisher's FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED [1969]).

    Technically, the film is a blast, and Woo stages the action highlights with a visual grace and dexterity that is often breathtaking to behold. The climactic speedboat battle is probably the finest set-piece of Woo's career to date, and the script is overflowing with visual and thematic ironies that underscore the action highlights. In fact, the production has arguably more dramatic resonance than any other Hollywood blockbuster of the 1990s, but the dictates of American commercialism mean that Woo is only able to skate over the emotional surface of his characters and their moral dilemmas. The two main protagonists are much too cold and heartless to fully engage the audience's sympathies, and there's nothing here that matches the scorching human drama of, say, BULLET IN THE HEAD (1990). But for all that, FACE/OFF dares to go deeper than your average Hollywood action picture. It's clever, witty and thrilling, and it manages to accomplish the difficult task of feeding the brain whilst entertaining the eye.
    helpful•96
    54
    • Libretio
    • Jan 26, 2000

    FAQ8

    • If Castor visited Archer in prison before going to his house then where did he get the clothes he was wearing?
    • What are the differences between the BBFC-18 DVD and the uncut version?
    • What is Face/Off about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 27, 1997 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official Facebook
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Kaiser Permanente Medical Center/Hospital - 1011 Baldwin Park Boulevard, Baldwin Park, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Permut Presentations
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 18 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

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