In director John Woo’s over-the-top blockbuster, Nicolas Cage plays Castor Troy, a lunatic terrorist who, having planted a bomb somewhere in LA, is put into a coma by his FBI agent nemesis, Sean Archer (John Travolta).
So, of course, Archer uses ultra-modern plastic surgery to swap faces with Troy to dupe the villain’s associates – including brother Pollux (Alessandro Nivola) and old flame Sasha (Gina Gershon) – into revealing the bomb’s location.
Things take a turn for the worse when Troy regains consciousness, steals Archer’s face and assumes the lawman’s identity.
The mix of bizarre plotting, high-octane thrills and sentimental drama doesn’t always gel, but there are some nice moments, especially when Cage begins to revive Travolta’s stale marriage to Joan Allen, and Woo more than delivers in the overblown action stakes.
It’s also patently evident that both stars are having a ball sending up each other’s mannerisms.
Sean Archer
John Travolta Castor Troy
Nicolas Cage Eve Archer
Joan Allen Pollux Troy
Alessandro Nivola Sasha Hassler
Gina Gershon Jamie Archer
Dominique Swain Dietrich Hassler
Nick Cassavetes Lazarro
Harve Presnell Dr Malcolm Walsh
Colm Feore Prison Guard Walton
John Carroll Lynch Hollis Miller
C C H Pounder Tito
Robert Wisdom Wanda
Margaret Cho Buzz
Jamie Denton Loomis
Matt Ross Leo Fry
Tommy Flanagan Lars
Dana Smith Kimberly
Romy Windsor Fitch
Paul Hipp Aldo Adino
Kirk Baltz Dubov
Chris Bauer Burke Hicks
Thomas Jane Agent Winters
Lauren Sinclair Pilot
Ben Reed Cindee
Lisa Boyle Livia
Linda Hoffman Karl
Danny Masterson Michael Archer
Myles Jeffrey Adam Hassler
David McCurley
Director
John Woo
Video
Related Posts
Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) An overlong and somewhat plodding screen treatment of Thomas Hardy's novel about a beautiful English farm girl who affects the…
Mrs Brown (1997) Judi Dench and Billy Connolly are a wonderfully regal double-act in this perceptive blend of fact and fiction. The story…
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) A year after Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez each helmed a segment of portmanteau comedy Four Rooms, the pair delivered…
Fathom (1967) When sexy secret agent Fathom Harvill (Raquel Welch) is sent on a mission to Spain to retrieve an H-bomb triggering…
Female Trouble (1974) Along with Pink Flamingos (1972), this is the film that gained cult director John Waters his trophy for spectacularly redefining melodrama.…
Finders Keepers (1966) Cliff Richard starred in this musical based on the real headline story about the accidental dropping by an American aeroplane,…
Phenomenon (1996) A strange light in the sky gives small-town mechanic George Malley (John Travolta) paranormal powers in this feel-good sci-fi fable…
World's Greatest Athlete, The (1973) Equal parts Disney slapstick fantasy, Tarzan movie and underdog sports flick, The World's Greatest Athlete had enough zany spirit for several films. With a…
