Face/Off certainly had a few silly moments but this is a great action-thriller featuring fun performances from Travolta and Cage equally, and both veteran actors seemingly having a blast playing off of one another.
Face/Off
(1997)
Genre(s): Action, Suspense/Thriller
Kino Lorber | R – 139 min. – $39.95 | December 12, 2023
Date Published: 02/12/2024 | Author: The Movieman
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Note: This review will mostly be about the 4K Ultra HD disc.
THE MOVIE — 4¼/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Obsessed with bringing terrorist Castor Troy (NICOLAS CAGE) to justice, FBI agent Sean Archer (JOHN TRAVOLTA) tracks down Troy, who has boarded a plane in Los Angeles. After the plane crashes and Troy is severely injured, possibly dead, Archer undergoes surgery to remove his face and replace it with Troy’s. As Archer tries to use his disguise to elicit information about a bomb from Troy’s brother (ALESSANDRO NIVOLA), Troy awakes from a coma and forces the doctor who performed the surgery to give him Archer’s face. Quick Hit Review: Face/Off is one of my all-time favorite action-thrillers and for all the silliness and sci-fi tech, it’s just an all around fun movie to watch any night of the week. The highlights of course are John Travolta and Nicolas Cage emulating one another so well. It’s over-the-top goodness from the 1990s and peek Hollywood John Woo. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4½/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and the interior artwork is reversible. Audio Commentaries
Deleted Scenes (8:26) — There are 7 scenes that were removed and include optional commentary with John Woo explaining why they were excised. The Light and the Dark: The Making of Face/Off (1:04:21) is a featurette made in 2007 celebrating the film’s 10th anniversary and includes interviews with the cast and crew, though Travolta and Cage were archive interview footage. John Woo: A Life in Pictures (26:04) goes into the career of the action-prolific director. Theatrical Trailer (2:07) |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Kino Lorber releases Face/Off onto 4K Ultra HD (along with Blu-ray) where it’s presented in the original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and given a new 2160p high-definition transfer which is a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision Master from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. Detail on this does look pretty stunning, sharp throughout and colors appear to be well balanced. The natural film grain is still intact giving it a nice texture. |
AUDIO – 4¾/5 |
| The disc includes a strong and robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and while a movie this action packed could’ve taken advantage of the newer Dolby Atmos mix, this one still sounds amazing from the very opening chase sequence that makes excellent use of the front and rear channels. And as a whole, dialogue levels do come across with great clarity. |
OVERALL – 4¼/5 |
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Face/Off certainly had a few silly moments but this is a great action-thriller featuring fun performances from Travolta and Cage equally, and both veteran actors seemingly having a blast playing off of one another. |