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
