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
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