Ever found yourself utterly captivated by a film that’s just… gloriously ridiculous? That’s the essence of a “good-bad” movie. It might make you laugh out loud, cheer, or even groan, but it’s never boring. These aren’t necessarily cinematic masterpieces, but they deliver pure, unadulterated fun, often thanks to a single, over-the-top element that launches them into the stratosphere of absurdity.
Even during production, John Travolta reportedly had his doubts about “Face/Off.” He once mused, “I often wondered, ‘Was it working?'” acknowledging the immense challenge of portraying another character so completely. The entire concept of two men literally swapping faces was undeniably ambitious.
“Ambitious” is certainly an understatement for director John Woo’s 1997 sci-fi action thriller, a film that remains delightfully unhinged even decades later.
The film centers on John Travolta as Sean Archer, a grief-stricken F.B.I. agent reeling from the tragic murder of his son.
The perpetrator? Castor Troy, a role seemingly custom-made for Nicolas Cage’s signature wild intensity. Troy is a truly deranged psychopath, complete with custom gold guns in small-of-the-back holsters, a penchant for spontaneous song and dance, and a habit of consuming every drug imaginable simultaneously.
Soon, Troy and his associates reveal their plan to detonates a bio-bomb in Los Angeles. Complicating matters, Troy falls into a coma. The audacious solution? To infiltrate the criminal underworld for information, Archer undergoes a radical surgical procedure to literally wear Troy’s face. However, the plan goes awry when Troy inexplicably awakens, discovers his face is gone, and compels the same surgeon to transplant Archer’s face onto himself. Thus, the real madness begins.
A 1997 review in The Times, a Critic’s Pick no less, lauded Woo’s “diabolical cleverness” in orchestrating this identity swap. The review noted how Woo achieved the “near-impossible” feat of making audiences embrace the film’s wild premise with a smile.
What Makes It Good?
Big-Budget Spectacle and Mind-Bending Twists
Costing an astronomical $80 million at the time, “Face/Off” earned roughly $245 million at the box office. And as a viewer, you can genuinely see every single penny on screen.
Within a mere 15 minutes, the film explodes with a helicopter pursuing a plane, an ensuing crash into a hangar triggering countless explosions, a frantic gunfight, and an intense early showdown between our hero and villain. What feels like a grand finale is merely the opening act.
Then there’s the dazzling surgical suite, where no expense was spared (and plenty of flesh was, ahem, spared) to deliver high-tech theatrics and just enough visceral gore. Beyond the face transplant, the surgeon implants a microchip in Archer’s larynx to mimic Troy’s voice and even sculpts Archer’s physique to match Troy’s slender build. Instant new identity – just like that!
The emotional rollercoaster is just as intense. After taking Archer’s face, Troy burns down the lab, then invades Archer’s home, sleeping with his wife (played with perfect nuance by Joan Allen), menacing his daughter, and murdering his boss. Meanwhile, Archer, trapped in prison within Troy’s body, discovers the horrifying truth, and his panic is utterly palpable.
Both lead actors, at the peak of their careers, were impeccably cast to convincingly navigate this absolute chaos, delivering a masterclass in balancing heartfelt sincerity with pure, unadulterated ham.
Nicolas Cage’s commitment to his role was so profound that, during one prison scene, he experienced a moment where “reality blurred.” He later admitted in an interview, “There was a moment in there where I think I actually left my body. I got scared, ‘Am I acting or is this real?'”
What Makes It Bad?
An Overused Euphemism and Endless Endings
Within the opening minutes, Troy’s use of “peach” as a sexual euphemism immediately establishes his deeply unsettling character. His declaration, “I could eat a peach for hours,” followed by a suggestive gesture, is initially shocking. By its third repetition, however, the word devolves into a tired catchphrase, losing its impact. Yes, Troy, we understood the first time.
Clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, “Face/Off” begins with what feels like a grand finale. Logically, one might expect a single, satisfying conclusion. Instead, the film delivers what feels like a rapid-fire series of four different endings, with the final 30 minutes resembling a “choose-your-own-adventure” book where every option is played out.
What Makes It Good-Bad?
Face-Touching Rituals and a Post-Surgery Haircut
This movie is a goldmine of unbelievable moments for characters whose faces are “off.” While Troy coolly smoking a cigarette while awaiting surgery is iconic, it’s perhaps overshadowed by the decision to cut Archer’s hair to match Troy’s after his face has been removed. Imagine: a thin layer of gauze is all that stands between tiny hair clippings and raw flesh. Truly bizarre brilliance.
Even characters with their original faces experience strange rituals. The Archer family’s unique gesture of love involves running their fingers down the center of each other’s faces. Initially charming, this repeated face stroke, occurring numerous times throughout the film, quickly shifts from an “aww” moment to something closer to “smell my hand,” “eat my germs,” and ultimately, an unsettling “face/on” sensation.