John Woo is indicative of many a great oversees director that, upon coming stateside, becomes hamstrung by the Hollywood studio system that goes completely against what made them so successful in their native land.
John Woo caught the eye of Hollywood and action enthusiasts with his Hong Kong classics The Killer (1989) and Hard Boiled (1992). He was brought over to the states to helm the Van Damme film Hard Target (1993). He had constant battles with Universal over content, number of bullets that could be fired, etc. His original cut was NC-17 so the studio hired an editor to cut it down to an R and basically took Woo out of the loop. The film died a quick death.
Face/Off, released in the summer of 1997, represents the one Hollywood film Woo made where he was given creative control, this time by Paramount, and was able to make a film with all the Woo flourishes that he became known for in Hong Kong while still being able to make it a human drama and not just an excuse for elaborate, Peckinpah-infused action sequences.
Face/Off, which has finally been given a proper DVD release in the form of a 2 Disc Collector’s Edition, remains one of the best action films of the 90s while providing a real heart and soul behind the bullets; something that today’s summer flicks could sorely use.
This has driven Archer into a personal war with Castor to the point where he has become non-existent physically and emotionally to his wife Eve (Joan Allen) and jailbait daughter Jamie (Dominique Swain).
This sets up a thrilling chase sequence aboard the runaway and subsequent shootout in the hanger that leaves both Troys captured. Archer figures that the nightmare is finally over and he and his family can move on but, in fact, it has just begun.
He will then be sent to a maximum security prison where Pollux is being kept and get the location of the bomb from him at which point he will be quickly taken out and have his face switched back. There are risks beyond the obvious; Archer can’t tell anyone including his own family.
The key here is that the action doesn’t overwhelm the human elements at play. There are four key action sequences (the opening chase/shootout at the airport, Archer’s breakout from the prison, a shootout at a loft and the final showdown which involves a shootout in a church followed by an adrenaline-pumping boat chase) that Woo wisely places at strategic points in the film so as to make them more urgent based on the emotional investment you have in the characters.
The airport and boat sequences which bookend the film are amongst the most thrilling action sequences ever put on film, especially when you consider they were done WITHOUT CGI.
Both Travolta and Cage do some of their best work as the tortured Archer as you have no doubt how deeply wounded this man is due to the death of his son. It isn’t often that you see action protagonists break down in tears but few action films do what this one does.
However, hearing Travolta poke fun at his own body and “ridiculous chin” will have you in stitches as will the scene where he teaches his daughter about carrying protection after saving her from nearly being raped.
Meanwhile Archer as Troy surprises his criminal associates including his old girlfriend (an always yummy Gina Gershon) by how soft-spoken and remorseful he’s become. The highlight comes when he wigs out after ingesting some type of drug with his old criminal friend Dietrich (wonderfully played by Nick Cassavetes) to which Dietrich replies, “No more drugs for that man.”
Both Cage and Allen make this moment work and the scene is emblematic of the heart of the film. Look for small early roles by future Desperate Housewives star James Denton and The Shield star CCH Pounder as FBI agents.
While both commentaries are informative and anecdote laden, I think real fans of the film like me were secretly hoping for a commentary with Travolta and Cage. That would’ve been a real treat.
The making of documentary is not quite as good as others, mostly due to the fact that the clips from Travolta and Cage were taken from onset interviews when the film was being shot 10 years ago. It does do a thorough job, however, of explaining how the original script differed from what was finally shot and how Woo, after initially passing on the project, finally came back to it.
Face/Off – Collector’s Edition is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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